THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014
PAGE 9
INTERNATIONAL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oscar Pistorius reacts as he listens to evidence by a pathologist in court in Pretoria, South Africa, Monday. A pathologist called as the first defense witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial offered a different sequence for the shots that killed Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius takes witness stand for first time
I ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRETORIA, South Africa — His voice shaking, Oscar Pistorius took the witness stand Monday for the first time, testifying that he was trying to protect the girlfriend he killed and that he became so tormented by memories of the fatal shooting and panic attacks that he once helplessly in a closet.
Pistorius also offered an apology to the family of Reeva Steenkamp, who died from multiple wounds after the double-amputee runner shot her through a closed toilet door last year in his home. He said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. Prosecutors allege he killed her after an argument.
"There hasn't been a moment since this tragedy happened that I haven't thought about your family," the athlete said at the murder trial as Steenkamp's mother, June, looked impassively at him in the courtroom.
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"I was simply trying to protect Reeva. I can promise that when she went to bed that night she felt loved," Pistorius said.
Pistorus' display of anguish and remorse was a marked departure from the testimony of some prosecution witnesses whose accounts painted a picture of the runner as a hothhead with a jealous streak,
an inflated sense of entitlement and an obsession with guns in the months before he killed Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model.
He has yet to be cross-examined about the shooting in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013, and that testimony is likely to be the centerpiece of a trial being broadcast on television and followed around the world. Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. Some analysts think the judge, who will decide the case, will consider a lesser charge such as homicide, which could still send him to prison for years.
"The weight of this is extremely overbearing."
OSCAR PISTORIUS Olympic runner
Pistorius, 27, spoke in a soft, quavering voice at the start of his testimony, forcing Judge Thokozile Masipa to ask him to speak more loudly. He stood at first, stifling sobs as he said he was on antidepressant medication and sometimes woke from nightmares to the "smell of blood."
Defense lawyer Barry Roux, who had aggressively challenged prosecution witnesses since the trial began March 3, led Pistorius gently through events in a life that was held up, in the runner's heyday, as an inspiring tale. Pistorius was born without fibula bones because of a congenital defect, and his legs were amputated when he was 11 months old. He ran on carbon-fiber blades and is a multiple Paralympic medalist. He also competed at the London Olympics but didn't win a medal.
Pistorius said he has been taking antidepressant medication since the week after he killed Steenkamp and has trouble sleeping. He described one night when he went to hide in a closet after waking up in "a panic."
"I climbed into a cupboard and I phoned my sister to come and sit by me, which she did for a while," Pistorius said.
Pistorius will return Tuesday to continue testifying after the judge granted an early adjournment because she said Pistorius looked "exhausted." Pistorius said he had not slept the night before.
"I'm just very tired at the moment ... I think it's a lot of things going through my mind," he said. "The weight of this is extremely overbearing."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Notre Dame keeps rolling after defeating Maryland
NOTRE DAME, tenn. — Notre Dame's Muffet McGraw has deflected talk of a perfect season and a potential showdown with rival Connecticut all year long.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Now the undefeated Irish will get a crack at their rival when the teams meet for a national championship on Tuesday night.
The former Big East teams had developed the top rivalry in the sport. The Irish have won seven of the previous nine meetings, including beating the Huskies twice in the Final Four.
"It's better than meeting in the national semifinals," McGraw deadpanned about the title matchup.
UConn (39-0) won the last meeting though, topping Notre Dame in the Final Four last season.
Notre Dame forward Taya Reimer (12) shoots against Maryland center Brionna Jones (42) during the second half of the game in the Final Four of the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
The Irish (37-0) advanced to the championship game with an 87-61 rout of Maryland on Sunday night in the Final Four.
Kayla McBride scored 28 points in one of the most impressive games of her career. The All-American senior guard seemingly did whatever she wanted, and enjoyed herself while she did it.
McBride shed defenders with behind-the-back dribbles and quick crossovers before scoring. She set the tone, refusing to let for
"She was truly special," McGraw said. "She was having fun out there and that was the key. She was hitting shots from all over."
"It means a lot as a senior," McBride said. "I'm so proud of this team. We went through a lot of adversity, especially after losing 'Ace.' We're going to go in and look at the film and be ready for the game."
Notre Dame lost senior Natalie 'Ace' Achonwa in the regional final when she suffered a torn ACL. The team wore shirts in warm-ups with Achonwa's No. 11 and the 6-foot-3 forward's nickname on the back. She helped her team warm. McGraw, who was The Associated
Press coach of the year, was concerned coming into the game about her team's ability to rebound against the bigger Terrapins without Achonwa. Her team practiced all week on boxing out and not allowing second shots.
It worked. The Irish dominated the Terrapins (28-7) on the boards with a 50-21 rebounding advantage, including a 19-4 mark on the offensive end. It was the widest rebounding margin ever in a Final Four game, shattering the previous mark of 19 set by Louisiana Tech in 1989.
Notre Dame's pursuit of a perfect season end.
2014 Robert Hemenway Public Service Award
AWARD DESCRIPTION The Dole Institute of Politics established the Robert Hemenway Public Service Award in May of 2009, in honor of the 16th Chancellor of the University of Kansas upon his retirement. The $1,000 award is given annually to a junior student who has demonstrated a commitment to making a difference for KU students, and furthering the ideas of service on campus and within the community; the overriding criterion for this award is commitment to public service, with demonstrated leadership.
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2013 Hemenway Public Service Award winner and runner-ups with Dole Institute director and associate director
Enrolled as a full-time University of Kansas undergraduate student during the 2014-2015 academic year
ELIGIBILITY: Junior status for the Spring 2014 semester, with at least one year to complete at the University of Kansas
Complete the full application and write a 250 word essay to be hand-delivered to the Dole Institute by the posted deadline
Applications are available at the Dole Institute or online at www.doleinstitute.org/students-hemenway-award.shtml. You may find more info on our website or by calling 785-864-4900
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION Monday, April 21, 2014 by 4:00 p.m. Hand-deliver to the Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Dr., Lawrence, KS.
ROBERT J. DOLE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS
The University of Kansas