Olympian Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius is currently on suicide watch in a jail cell in Johannesburg, South Africa, having been charged with premeditated murder for shooting his 30-year-old girlfriend, aspiring model Reeva Steenkamp, four times in the head, chest, and hand. Steenkamp was killed in the bathroom of Pistorius’s home on Thursday, when the athlete claims that he mistook her for an intruder. While that explanation has been largely dismissed by law enforcement so far, a source has told Afrikaans-language newspaper Beeld that paramedics arrived on the scene to find Pistorius attempting to revive Steenkamp with mouth-to-mouth. Since Pistorius’s possible second thoughts don’t change what happened, prosecutors and police have yet to comment on the resuscitation update and are instead focusing their attentions on neighbors’ reports of a disturbance at the home several hours before the shooting. More bad news for Pistorius, who faces a life sentence in one of the world’s most ruthless prison systems: One of his ex-girlfriends, Samantha Taylor, has been approached by police to testify against him and says she is “prepared to reveal what Pistorius made me go through.”
Australia’s Daily Telegraph reports that Steenkamp, whose Twitter feed reveals her to be an outspoken critic of South Africa’s pervasive rape culture, was scheduled to give a motivational speech to a group of high school students the day after she was killed. “It was about empowerment and inspiration and what inspires you and how to follow your dreams,” said her publicist, who’d seen Steenkamp’s notes, which drew heavily on an abusive relationship she’d had before she started dating Pistorius back in November.
Meanwhile, a South African television channel says it still plans to go ahead with Tropika Island of Treasure, a reality show set in Jamaica where Steenkamp and several other celebrities compete for a prize worth over $100,000. One of Steenkamp’s cousins says that, while the network has yet to get in touch with the family, they’re actually all planning to watch the series premiere tonight. “Her last words to us personally was that she wants us to watch it,” she said. “Reeva would’ve liked us to watch it,” her uncle told People magazine. Tonight’s show will be dedicated to Steenkamp’s memory and will include a tribute to her.
