Oscar Pistorius's testimony

Oscar Pistorius's lawyer, Barry Roux, read his client's statement in an effort to clear his name. But yesterday, the South African athlete was charged with the premeditated murder of his girlfriend, Reeva. Here are the highlights from Oscar Pistorius's statement.

“Around 10 p.m. on February 13, we were in our bedroom. She was doing yoga exercises and I was watching television in bed. My prosthetic legs were off. We were very much in love, and I couldn't be happier. I know she felt the same way. She had given me a Valentine's Day gift but asked me not to open it until the next day.”

“After Reeva finished her yoga exercises, she went to bed and we both fell asleep.”

"I am extremely sensitive to criminal violence (...) I have received death threats before. I have also been a victim of violence, including burglars in the past. For this reason, I keep my pistol, a 9mm Parabellum, under my bed when I go to bed at night."

"In the early hours of February 14, 2013, I woke up, went to the balcony to bring back the fan, and closed the sliding doors, shutters, and curtains. I heard a noise in the toilet and realized someone was in there."

“I felt fear suddenly come over me. There are no burglar-proof bars on the bathroom window, and I knew the contractors working on my house had left the ladders outside. Even though I didn't have my prosthetic legs, I can get around with my stumps.”

"I thought someone had entered my house. I was too scared to turn on the light. I grabbed my 9mm pistol from under my bed. On my way to the bathroom, I yelled for him or them to get out of my house, and for Reeva to call the police. It was pitch black in the bedroom, and I thought Reeva was in bed."

"I noticed that the bathroom window was open. (…) I heard movement inside the toilet. The toilet is in the bathroom and has a separate door."

“(…) Since I didn’t have my prosthetics and felt extremely vulnerable, I thought I had to protect Reeva and me (…).”

"I pulled on the bathroom door several times and shouted at Reeva to call the police. She didn't answer (...). Everything was really dark in the bedroom and I was already too scared to turn on the light. (...)"

“When I reached the bed, I realized Reeva wasn’t there. That’s when I realized it could be Reeva who was in the bathroom (…) I tried to open the bathroom door but it was locked. I rushed back into the room and opened the sliding door to step out onto the balcony, and called for help.”

"I put on my prosthetic legs, ran back to the bathroom and tried to bang on the toilet door to open it. I think I must have turned on the lights there. I went back into the bedroom and took my cricket bat to break down the toilet door (…) Reeva was unconscious but still alive."

"I carried her down the stairs to take her to the hospital. (…) Downstairs, I tried to resuscitate Reeva as best I could, but she died in my arms."

The Oscar Pistorius case is far from over!