Kneipe » who lost to Tampa Bay his first time out

PRETORIA, South Africa - Kneeling in court and swinging a cricket bat at Oscar Pistorius toilet door, a South African forensic analyst demonstrated Wednesday how the double-amputee athlete may have bashed the door to get to the girlfriend he had just fatally shot. Col. J.G. Vermeulen said he believed Pistorius was on his stumps when he swung his bat at the brown cubicle door. The defence, on cross-examination of the policeman, insisted instead that Pistorius was wearing his prosthetic legs when hitting the door in the pre-dawn hours of Valentines Day last year — and the marks from the bat on the door were lower down because the athlete swung with a bent back. The intricate argument over whether Pistorius, the first amputee to run at the Olympics and now on trial for murder, was on his prosthetic limbs or not is important because it could match parts of his story that he accidentally shot Reeva Steenkamp. It could also show that he is lying. The athlete has said he fearfully approached the bathroom on his stumps on Feb. 14 last year and shot Steenkamp by mistake, thinking she was an intruder hiding behind the door. According to his account, he then put on his prostheses and tried to kick down the locked toilet door, and battered it with a cricket bat to get to his girlfriend after realizing what he had done. Prosecutors maintain he intentionally shot the 29-year-old model and have charged him with murder. He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, which also include three firearm related counts. The actual door that Pistorius shot through a year ago was erected in the Pretoria courtroom Wednesday. The bat he used that night was also used in the dramatic demonstrations. And there was even a toilet cubicle behind the door, recreated to the exact specifications of the small area of Pistorius bathroom where Steenkamp was fatally shot, Vermeulen said. It included a toilet bowl. The door also had what appeared to be white tags on it and, lower down and below the handle four bullet holes were clearly visible. Pistorius shot at Steenkamp four times through the door, hitting her in the hip, arm and head. One shot missed, the court has heard. Vermeulen, who said he has 29 years experience as a forensic analyst, said it was his belief that Pistorius was on his stumps — and against what the athlete says — when he hit the door. "The marks is consistent with him being in a natural position without his prostheses," Vermeulen said. The police analyst was repeatedly asked by both the prosecution and defence to demonstrate his assertions by swinging the bat at the door. "Its quite low down on the door," Vermeulen testified about one of the marks he said were made by the bat. He said it was "not the normal position that I would expect from a mark from a cricket bat." Defence lawyer Barry Roux countered that Pistorius hit the door with a "bent back" and that the low marks were consistent with such a body position. Roux also made it clear that the prosecution had now retracted initial claims that Pistorius was on his prosthetics when he fired the shots that killed Steenkamp. It is now accepted, Vermeulen said, that he was probably on his stumps. That mistaken claim by prosecutors in the early part of the investigation was used by them to argue there was premeditation in the killing because they believed the disabled runner planned the killing while putting his prosthetics limbs on. Earlier, Vermeulen also said a metal panel on the wall of the main bathroom in Pistorius home had been damaged by being hit with a "hard" object, or after the object fell against it. The steel plate was new evidence. A photo of the damaged plate was shown. Prosecutors say Pistorius intentionally shot Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, after a fight. Led by questions from prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Vermeulen removed his blazer and walked down from the witness stand and over to the door to demonstrate to the judge how he believes the door was hit by Pistorius last year. Vermeulen said he was particularly interested in two specific marks on the door that he concluded were made by the bat and with the use of court photos and by kneeling down in court, Vermeulen showed the low position that the person could have been in when striking the door with the bat. Pistorius faces a possible life sentence if convicted of murder for killing Steenkamp. The judge, who watched the demonstrations Wednesday, will ultimately decide on the verdict. There is no trial by jury in South Africa. Associated Press writer Torchia reported from Johannesburg. 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Cheap MLB Jerseys Nike 2020 .2 million deal for the upcoming season with right-hander Garrett Richards.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because the announcement hadnt been made.(SportsNetwork.com) - Melky Cabrera tries to continue his torrid start to the season on Wednesday when the Toronto Blue Jays resume a three-game set with the Houston Astros at Rogers Centre. Cabrera homered for the fourth straight game in Tuesdays opener and Toronto rolled, 5-2. Dioner Navarro went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI and Edwin Encarnacion went 1-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored for the Blue Jays, who evened their record at 4-4. Toronto starter Mark Buehrle (2-0), who punched out 11 batters in his season debut against Tampa Bay, tossed 5 1/3 innings on Tuesday, allowing eight hits and one run with three strikeouts and a walk. "Im not striking out 11, Im not going to strikeout 11 guys in my next five starts combined," said Buehrle. "I need my defense behind me." Brett Oberholtzer (0-2) absorbed the loss for the Astros and surrendered three runs on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5 1/3 frames. "I thought he did a good job keeping us in the ball game," said Astros manager Bo Porter on Oberholtzer. "Those last two walks in the sixth really hurt us. We had our opportunities. We had men on base with less than two outs. When you get in those situations you have to capitalize." Cabrera managed just three home runs all of lasst season, a year that saw him miss time with leg injuries before having a benign tumor removed from his spine Aug.dddddddddddd 30. With another home run on Wednesday Cruz would become the first Blue Jay to homer in five straight games since Jose Cruz Jr. went deep in six in a row Sept. 29-Oct. 5, 2001. "I feel 100 percent now and Im ready to go. Its good. I dont have any pain now," said Cabrera. Hoping to slow him down will be righty Lucas Harrell, who picked up right where he left off last season in his initial start of the season. Harrell lost a league-high 17 games a year ago and started his 2014 campaign off with a loss on Friday to Los Angeles, as the Angels battered him for five runs and seven hits in just three innings. "Its over with and on to the next start," Harrell said. "Ill get better for my next start." Toronto, meanwhile, will counter with right-hander Brandon Morrow, who lost to Tampa Bay his first time out. Morrow surrendered four runs and seven hits in five innings of that one. "It was just one of those things where you think you threw better than the end results," Morrow said. Toronto was 4-3 against the Astros last season. On Wednesday afternoon, the Jays optioned pitcher Marcus Walden to Triple-A Buffalo and recalled pitcher Neil Wagner. ' ' '