Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee Olympic runner, was brought into custody and charged with murder this past week. The murder charges followed the discovery of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead in his home in South Africa. Steenkamp's body was discovered on Feb. 14 with four bullet wounds and bruises.
Pistorius, known as the "Blade Runner" for his prosthetic legs, became an inspiration last summer, especially for those with disabilities.
He is known for competing in the London Olympics during the summer of 2012, specifically the 400-meter track event. Despite not winning any medals, Pistorius was applauded for his will to compete. Now his name will have a stigma attached to it.
"I don't care who he is or what he accomplished. What he did was terrible and he should be put in jail and never be able to compete in the Olympics again," Ramapo junior Jessica Goldberg said.
More information has been released regarding the case. A bloody cricket bat was found in the Olympian's home, which is now prime evidence. It also became clear that the young model was shot through the bathroom door, which leads some to question if there was an altercation.
On Tuesday, prosecutor Gerrie Nel charged Pistorius with premeditated murder, which could result in a life sentence for Pistorius if convicted.
Pistorius has vehemently denied any murder allegations and cried in court when formally charged. He currently claims that he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder and acted out of instinct.
During all of this, more information has surfaced regarding Pistorius and guns. A close friend said that Pistorius nearly shot him in a café just days prior to Steenkamp's death, according to an article in the New York Post. Both sides claimed it an accident when the gun went off, but Pistorius was interested in buying his friend's gun.
To top it all off, steroids were allegedly found in Pistorius' home, which has conjured up even more questions as steroid use can cause uncontrollable rage. This raises even more questions – if Pistorius is a steroids user but was never discovered during his performance at the games, how did he beat the system? This is the Olympics after all, which implements strict drug testing protocol.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has dealt with enough controversy recently since eliminating wrestling, a sport which has been in the Olympics since its founding. A potential drug user now linked to murder could ruin the committee's reputation.
Some skeptics believe the IOC may have swept Pistorius' failed drug test under the rug to keep the feel-good story intact.
"I think they hid the drug test because of the publicity and attention it brought," junior Steffen Willand. "That's why they gave him a spot on the roster, even though people thought his legs gave him an unfair advantage."
That is now irrelevant, however, as the murder of Steenkamp is the centerpiece of the story. Time will tell what will happen next as Pistorius heads to trial. If history has proven anything, the public loves to see coverage of high-profile athletes in court, so this case has potential to morph into one of the biggest trials of the decade.
mgill@ramapo.edu
