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In his closing argument on Thursday, Prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused Oscar Pistorius of engaging in a "snowball of lies" that ultimately was so absurd that it degenerated into a "farce". We know that Pistorius has admitted to killing Reeva Steenkamp. The issue being determined at trial is whether he intended to kill her, or as Pistorius alleges, did so by accident. Murder vs. Culpable Homicide The two main charges at play are murder and culpable homicide. In order establish murder, the prosecution needs to show that Pistorius intended to kill Steenkamp. If the prosecution fails on murder, they can still get Pistorius on culpable homicide. This charge means that Pistorius negligently killed Steenkamp. And this is what Pistorius is alleging - he killed Steenkamp by accident. He thought she was an intruder. Remember this critical point: Pistorius can still be convicted of murder if it can be shown that he intended to kill - period. It doesnt matter who - just that he intended to kill someone and that the force he used was disproportionately excessive given the circumstances. Prison Time Murder would result in a compulsory sentence of 15 years in prison. For culpable homicide, the sentencing is discretionary (varies from fines to prison time), although its not unusual to see prison time in South Africa of 5-10 years for this type of crime. The prosecution did charge Pistorius with premeditated murder, which means they are alleging he not only intended to kill Steenkamp, but he planned it out beforehand. With that comes a compulsory life sentence. The problem here for the prosecution is that you need a robust planning element to make out this charge and thats not present here. Rather, this looks like a domestic dispute gone tragically wrong. Nel covered a lot of ground on Thursday in his summation. Here are some of the key moments. Pistorius: A Tale of Two Defences Nel accused Pistorius of having "two defences you can never reconcile". In an earlier version, Nel noted that Pistorius said he "fired" at the toilet door in self-defence, which is evidence of intent (or murder). As well, right after he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius told people that he thought she was "an intruder" but never claimed he shot accidentally. However, later on in his testimony, Pistorius shifted his defence, arguing that he fired by accident. So when Pistorius said he "didnt intend to shoot anyone" and the discharge was an "accident", he was trying to show he lacked the requisite intent for a conviction of murder. For this reason, Pistorius testified that he never "aimed" his gun at the door, but rather the gun was merely "pointing" at the door when it went off by accident. While the difference between the words "aimed" and "pointing" may seem insignificant, in the context of this case they are absolutely key. "Aiming" suggests intent while "pointing" is designed to support the accidental shooting defence. So yes – Pistorius chose his words very carefully. Its tough to believe he fired the gun by accident. He went into a dangerous situation with his firearm, disengaged the safety, proceeded down the hallway to the bathroom in a tactical manner and didnt yell out or fire a warning shot so as to avoid alerting the "intruder" to his presence. However, once facing the bathroom door, he suddenly panicked and accidentally fired four shots in quick succession. Effectively, Pistorius is seeking to convince the Court that all his decisions were conscious and intentional up until the point he was facing the bathroom door, at which point he became unhinged and lost himself. Pistorius Screams Like A Woman In his closing, Nel also noted that Pistorius promised to call a witness to prove that he "screams like a woman". The prosecution called a number of witnesses, including Michelle Burger, Charl Johnson, Dr. Johan Stipp and Estelle van der Merwe, who testified that the lights were on and they heard arguing and screaming. Stipp recounted that he heard female screams that sounded like a woman "scared out of her mind." Burger described female screams as "petrifying" and added this: "I was sitting in bed and I heard her screams," Burger testified. "She screamed terribly and she yelled for help. I heard the screams again. It was worse. It was more intense. Just after her screams, I heard four shots. Four gun-shots... You could hear it was blood curdling screams. You cant translate it into words. The anxiousness in her voice, and fear. It leaves you cold. She screamed terribly and she yelled for help". Pistorius repeatedly alleged that he screamed like a girl. However, little in the way of compelling evidence supporting his position was presented and Nel reminded the Court of that. Steenkamp Facing the Bathroom Door In his closing, Nel argued that Steenkamp was "standing facing the accused" behind the locked bathroom door when she was killed. This is also essential to the prosecutions case. Earlier in the trial, Ballistics Expert Captain Christian Mangena testified that Steenkamp was facing the door when she was shot (rather than with her side facing the door). The first shot hit her in the right hip. The shot broke her hip and threw her back onto a magazine holder. She then assumed a defensive position by crossing her arms over her head. The second shot missed but broke into fragments and bruised her back. The third shot hit her in the right arm, which in the opinion of the expert, supports the conclusion she was shielding herself from fire. The fourth shot hit her in the head, killing her almost instantly. For the prosecution, this helps establish that Steenkamp was in the bathroom hiding from Pistorius when she was shot. If she had simply gone to the bathroom, it would have been more likely that she would not have been facing the door as she was. Steenkamp Brought Her Phone To The Bathroom and Locked The Door Nel reminded the Court that at 3am, Steenkamp took her cellphone to the bathroom and locked the door. The implication is clear: it is highly unusual for someone to take their phone to the bathroom in the middle of the night and lock the door unless they feel threatened. As Nel stated on close, "why would she find herself locked up in the toilet if there was no intruder?". Steenkamp Had A Late Meal During his close, Nel also submitted that Steenkamp consumed food about two hours before her death. According to Pistorius, the couple was in bed by 10pm. This statement was designed to counter witness testimony that the couple was up arguing very late. However, pathologist Professor Gert Saayman testified that food found in Steenkamps stomach suggested she ate within two hours of her death shortly after 3am. Nel also focused on other inconsistencies with Pistoriuss story. How did he not know Steenkamp was not in bed when he walked right by her? Wouldnt Steenkamp have yelled in the bathroom after the first shot was discharged? Why not direct her to safety before confronting the mysterious intruder? Overall, there are a number of improbabilities with Pistorius story. While each piece of evidence when considered in isolation may be insufficient to result in a murder conviction, when viewed in their totality, the evidence conspires to tell a story of a domestic dispute turned tragic. With all the complex evidence before the Court, one simple piece continues to stand out: who goes to the bathroom at 3 oclock in the morning with their cellphone and locks the door? Someone who is deathly afraid, I believe. Mike White Jersey . 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Allen Hurns Cowboys Jersey .com) - The University of Montana named Bob Stitt as its new head football coach on Tuesday.Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Coach Mike Krzyzewski will go for his 999th career win as his Duke Blue Devils entertain the Pittsburgh Panthers in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke had lost back-to-back contests to NC State (87-75) and Miami-Florida (90-74), but the Blue Devils got back in the win column on Saturday with a convincing road victory over Louisville (63-52) that improved the teams conference record to 3-2. Pittsburgh enters the road contest having won two games in a row over Florida State (73-64) and Georgia Tech (70-65). The Panthers are 13-5 with an identical 3-2 ACC record as Duke. But Pitts road record of 1-3 isnt exactly the start the team was hoping for. Duke leads the all-time series against Pittsburgh by a slim 7-6 margin. The Blue Devils took the only meeting between the sides last season, 80-65. Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech were knotted at 31-31 at halftime of Saturdays ACC contest, but the Panthers connected on 48 percent of their field-goal attempts in the second half to pull away from the Yellow Jackets for the five- point win. Jamel Artis and Cameron Wright each tallied 20 points to lead the Panthers, while Michael Young netted 16 points with six rebounds. James Robinson dished out a team-best nine assists for the Panthers. Pittsburgh hasnt been the strongest offensive team in the conference this season, netting 67.4 ppg. But the teams scoring defense has been a staple so far, holding opponents to a mere 61.9 ppg on 42.8 percent shooting from the floor. That scoring defense will have to be on point against one of the better lineups in college basketball on the rroad.dddddddddddd Young leads the team in scoring with 13.7 ppg, adding in a team-best 7.8 rpg mark. Robinson is the only other Pitt player averaging a double-digit scoring average at 10.2 ppg, also leading his squad with 86 assists on the season. Wright and Artis are both on the cusp of double-figure scoring, as each player checks in with 9.9 ppg. After two straight ACC losses, the Blue Devils went on the road to face what was thought to be their toughest challenge to date. However, Duke jumped out ahead of Louisville early on and owned a 10-point halftime lead, which the visitors would only improve upon in the second period. Amile Jefferson took control early and ended his day with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Jahlil Okafor started slow and used a powerful second half to finish with 18 points and seven boards. Tyus Jones also contributed heavily to the victory, adding in 10 points and eight assists for the Blue Devils. The freshman sensation Okafor has really turned up his play this season, and is solidifying himself as the likely top-overall draft selection this summer, should he choose to enter the professional level. He leads Duke and the ACC in scoring per game, averaging 18.9 ppg. Hes also first in the conference in field-goal percentage (67 percent shooting) and is third in rebounding (9.4 rpg). Quinn Cook (13.4 ppg) and Justise Winslow (11.4 ppg) round out a trio of Duke players averaging scoring totals in double figures this season. Jones is third in the ACC and first on Duke with a 4.9 apg mark. The Blue Devils as a unit are scoring a whopping 82.0 ppg, and are holding opponents to 63.6 ppg. 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