Pistorius returns to court Monday

August 18, 2013 at 10:56PM
Justin Young from British band The Vaccines performs at the V Festival in Chelmsford, England, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2013. (Photo by Jonathan Short/Invision/AP)
good hair day: Justin Young from British indie-rock band The Vaccines performed at the annual V Festival in Chelmsford, England on Sunday. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Oscar Pistorius is due to reappear in a South African court on Monday to face charges of the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February.

The 26-year-old double-amputee Olympian will be indicted on a main charge of premeditated murder at Pretoria Magistrate's Court, prosecutors say. Pistorius says he shot Steenkamp by mistake thinking she was a dangerous intruder.

The blockbuster trial is expected to start early next year, but the exact date will likely be set on Monday, according to prosecutors. It will probably be in February or March, around a year since Steenkamp's killing.

The mandatory sentence for someone convicted of premeditated murder is life with a minimum of 25 years in prison, meaning if Pistorius is found guilty, he will be older than 50, at least, when he leaves prison. There is no death penalty in South Africa.

Prosecutors told the Associated Press it is "possible" that additional charges could be added to the indictment but declined to comment on South African media reports that Pistorius would face two other charges relating to recklessly discharging a firearm in a public place in two separate incidents. The incidents — reportedly when Pistorius shot a gun out of the sunroof of a moving car and let one off accidentally in a restaurant — would seemingly show the prosecution's attempt to paint Pistorius as trigger-happy at his trial.

Hockey and golf to tie the knot

PGA Tour player Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky have taken to Twitter to say they're getting married. Johnson tweeted Sunday that "she said yes!!!" and included a picture of a large diamond ring worn by the daughter of hockey great Wayne Gretzky. She retweeted it, along with several congratulatory messages from friends and family. They first were linked at the start of the year when she was in the gallery at Kapalua in Hawaii, where Johnson won the Tournament of Champions. Gretzky and his wife, Janet, joined their daughter the following week in Honolulu at the Sony Open. Johnson and Wayne Gretzky were partners in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The 29-year-old Johnson already has seven wins in his first six years on the PGA Tour.

Life of a princess: An exhibit on Grace Kelly's upbringing, Hollywood career and storybook ascent to royalty will make its only U.S. stop in suburban Philadelphia where she spent her early years. The exhibit opens Oct. 28 at the Michener Art Museum. On view will be personal photos, love letters from her husband Prince Rainier of Monaco, her 1954 best actress Academy Award for "The Country Girl," film clips and home movies, as well as iconic fashions.

associated press


FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 22, 2013 file photo Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius stands in the dock during his bail hearing at the magistrates court in Pretoria, South Africa. Pistorius is scheduled to re-appear in a South African court on Monday Aug.19, 2013. The the 26-year-old double-amputee Olympian will be indicted on a main charge of premeditated murder of his his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. According to reports Sunday Aug.18, prosecutors have confirmed they will maintain the charge they i
Pistorius (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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