Reeva Steenkamp’s parents are horrified at the suggestion they had any involvement in the upcoming movie about their daughter’s death.
June and Barry Steenkamp were “horrified and upset” at reports that the film, titled Blade Runner Killer, would be told from the perspective of the model and her mother.
The couple emphasised they had nothing to with the project and didn’t even know it was being made, saying they were still mourning their daughter’s untimely death.
“Any impression that is created that this is June’s view, or that the movie is endorsed by the Steenkamp family, is untrue and incorrect,” they said in a statement.
A trailer for the film was released on Monday and shows Oscar Pistorius’ version of events – that he believed an intruder to be behind the door – but also the controlling and angry Pistorius depicted in court by Steenkamp’s friends and family.
A documentary about the case was released earlier this year which claimed the athlete knew exactly what he was doing when he shot his girlfriend, despite his unwavering assertions he was trying to protect her.
The double-amputee sprinter was initially convicted for culpable homicide, a charge similar to manslaughter, and it wasn’t until ballistic experts presented bullets, shown for the first time in the documentary, as crucial evidence that the charge was overturned and replaced with murder.
Four years after the 29-year-old model’s death, Cpt Mangena says it’s clear Pistorius “knew what he was doing” and rejects his robber defence.
“She [Reeva] was standing behind the door, she was not in a seated position,” Mangena says.
“So, it could be that she ran into the toilet and she locked herself in the toilet, she was waiting, facing the door, inside the toilet.
“The first shot was on the hip and after this shot, she fell down. Most likely she could have screamed. She could have screamed and fell down.”
Cpt Mangena goes on to describe how he believes Steenkamp then fell onto a seated position on top of a magazine rack, and the knowledge of this prompted Pistorius to change directions and fire three more shots, including a fatal head shot.
An appeal saw Pistorius’ charge upgraded to murder and he was sentenced to six years, but prosecutors are once again pushing for a longer sentence, deeming the prison term “shockingly lenient”.
