News

When Will The Pistorius Trial Resume?

by Chris Tognotti

In late May, the Oscar Pistorius murder trial was postponed under the orders of Judge Thokozile Masipa, who submitted the Olympic sprinter to a 30-day psychiatric evaluation. So, when will the Pistorius trial resume? Well, the month-long evaluation will assess Pistorius' mental health state when the Olympian shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day last year. Since May 26, Pistorius has spent every weekday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, undergoing the analysis which will help determine his legal fate. But when will that fate happen, exactly?

Short answer: It's scheduled to resume June 30. It'll start up again with the remaining defense witnesses, and it's suspected there are three more, according to the Daily Maverick. How much longer we'll be waiting to hear the verdict from Judge Masipa, however, is less clear. Chances are, though, that it won't be soon. After the defense finishes up with its case, both they and the prosecution will be given yet more time to prepare their closing arguments, a process which could take over a month.

The nature of the evaluation stirred controversy when it was announced, thanks to the somewhat lenient requirements placed on Pistorius. The Blade Runner has been allowed to attend the evaluations as an outpatient, giving him early mornings, evenings, and weekends at home rather than confining him to the hospital for the duration. It's sparked charges of special treatment, not to mention the chance that relevant aspects of his behavior — his sleeping patterns, for example — will go unobserved.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The trial has already dragged on far longer than its initial schedule, owing in part to the incredibly high-profile nature of the case. Already having been broken apart by two long suspensions, it's now spanned more than three months, having begun on March 6.