Oscar Pistorius Found ‘Not Mentally Ill’ When He Shot Girlfriend

Oscar Pistorius was not suffering from a mental condition on Valentine’s Day 2013 when he shot and killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a finding by a panel of mental health experts that could pose a problem for Pistorius’ legal defense.

“The finding is not good for the defense,” criminal defense attorney Anton Smith who has monitored the trial told ABC News.

Smith said the conclusion was not good for Pistorius “neither in terms of their strategy, as they tried to illustrate a possible diminished culpability, nor in terms of a possible factor once they start arguing in mitigation of sentence.”

Pistorius’ lawyer resumed their defense after a month-long break for his psychiatric evaluation by having the legless sprinter take off his prosthetics in court again today and by trying to cast doubt on the testimony of neighbors who said they heard a woman screaming before the shots were fired.

The athlete’s murder trial resumed today with the introduction of the much anticipated report on whether Pistorius suffers from a generalized anxiety disorder that could have influenced his actions the night he shot Steenkamp.