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Pistorius testifies he didn't consciously pull trigger when he shot girlfriend

Former Olympian Oscar Pistorius testified Tuesday in a South African courtroom that he wasn't thinking when he pulled the trigger that killed his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius has maintained he mistook her for an intruder in his house's bathroom.

By JC Finley
South Africa's Oscar Pistorius holds his head in his hands at the London 2012 Summer Olympics on August 9, 2012. (UPI/Hugo Philpott)
South Africa's Oscar Pistorius holds his head in his hands at the London 2012 Summer Olympics on August 9, 2012. (UPI/Hugo Philpott) | License Photo

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 15 (UPI) -- At South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius' murder trial on Tuesday, he testified that he did not consciously pull the trigger that killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius, a former Olympian, has admitted he shot Steenkamp but claims that he mistook her for a burglar in the bathroom of his residence on February 14, 2013.

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Pistorius testified that he was "overcome with a sense of terror and vulnerability" when he suspected an intruder was in his bathroom.

"I didn't think about pulling the trigger," Pistorius told the court on Tuesday. "As soon as I heard the noise, before I could think, I pulled the trigger."

The trial is expected to continue until mid-May, at which point the judge -- under the South African judicial system -- will consult with two experts in order to decide the verdict.

[CNN]

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