August 17, 2018 ▸ People, True Crime

Episode 324: Oscar Pistorius: Olympian Cyborg Murderer!

On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we get all Olympic and discuss the career and crimes of Oscar Pistorius, the amputee athlete (and, of course, murderer) known as the “Blade Runner.” Pistorius was born in Johannesburg, South Africa without a fibula in either of his legs. When he was less than a year old, his parents decided to amputate his legs below the knee.

This didn’t stop Oscar Pistorius from being a world-class athlete, however. He started to do everything from wrestling to cricket, and he eventually started to run in the Paralympics, winning gold. In 2012, his dreams of being in the regular Olympics came true, and he ran on his controversial prosthetic leg blades.

The successes he had in sports had turned him into a celebrity and allowed him to find wealth through lucrative endorsement deals. However, things went south when he shot and killed his girlfriend Reva Steenkamp through the door to his bathroom. Pistorius claimed he thought it was someone breaking in, but according to the lead detective on the case, this didn’t add up. The evidence on the scene didn’t indicate that; plus, neighbors allegedly overheard the couple arguing hours before the Steenkamp’s death. Also, when you look at the past crimes and personality of Oscar Pistorius, the picture isn’t pretty.

So, did the Blade Runner intentionally murder his girlfriend or accidentally shoot her? What examples of violence against women were in his past? Was Reva on the phone with another lover at the moment she was shot? How did the other police discredit Hilton Botha, the lead investigator on the case? Was Pistorius a giant douche bag? Listen, laugh, learn.

Vanity Fair interview with Detective Botha: https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/06/oscar-pistorius-murder