The prosecution expects to close its case against Oscar Pistorius by early next week after calling four or five more witnesses, it said at the double amputee’s murder trial Wednesday.
The trial was adjourned until Monday to allow the prosecution more time to consult with potential witnesses. Pistorius is expected to testify after the prosecution closes it case.
“I am advised that I will have an opportunity to deal with a comprehensive version of the events when I testify,” was read by one his lawyers as part of his plea explanation on March 3, the first day of the trial.
Also Wednesday, a technology expert testified while court-room screens displayed the web search history of one of Pistorius’ iPads from Feb. 13, 2013, the day before he fatally shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The searches, according to court reports, included queries for cars -- Ford Ranger, Aston Martin, Autotrader SA, Daytona Group, Morgan Aeromax -- and pornography.
Earlier, ballistics investigator Capt. Christiaan Mangena said Steenkamp was most likely standing and facing a closed bathroom door when she was hit in the right hip by the first of four shots by Pistorius through the door on the early morning of Valentine’s Day 2013.
Pistorius has said he thought he was firing at an intruder locked inside his bathroom with his 9mm pistol. The prosecution asserts Pistorius killed Steenkamp after an argument. He could face 25 years in prison if convicted of premeditated murder.
The impact of Pistorius’ first shot caused Steenkamp to fall back onto a magazine holder, Mangena said. Two more shots hit Steenkamp in the right arm and head. The shot that hit her head went through her left hand as Steenkamp had raised her arms after the first bullet and into a “defensive position,” Mangena believed.
Mangena also said Pistorius was most likely not wearing his prosthetic legs when he shot through the door, which agrees with Pistorius’ and the prosecution’s version of events.
Also Wednesday, police blood splatter expert Col. Ian van der Nest testified that Steenkamp’s body showed no signs of “blunt force” wounds outside of the bullets that struck her.
He said blood splatter marks in Pistorius’ Pretoria home were consistent with Pistorius’ version of events that he carried Steenkamp downstairs after retrieving her from the bathroom where she was shot.
Here’s NBC News’ coverage of the Pistorius trial.
Here’s prosecutor Gerrie Nel having a tablet malfunction Wednesday: