Oscar Pistorius faces murder charge Pistorius covers his face and sobs as murder charge is read out Oscar Pistorius appeared in court on Friday to face a charge of one count of murder over the death of his girlfriend, who was killed at his exclusive South African home. The 26-year-old Paralympic superstar, dressed in a suit, broke down several times before magistrate Desmond Nair in the courtroom in the capital Pretoria, after his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was found shot dead early on Thursday morning. Prosecutors argued Mr Pistorius had committed premeditated murder and successfully opposed a bail application by the athlete's defence lawyer, who has cited his "extremely traumatised state of mind." Mr Pistorius was remanded in custody until Tuesday. He was not asked to enter a plea and did not speak. The magistrate adjourned the case till next Tuesday after the defence team asked for more time to conduct their own investigations. The court hearing had originally been scheduled for Thursday afternoon but was postponed until Friday to allow forensic investigators time to carry out their work. Early reports suggested Mr Pistorius had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder. However, police said neighbours had heard noises before the shots and there had been previous "domestic" incidents at the house. A 9mm pistol was recovered from Mr Pistorius's modern two-storey house in the middle of a heavily guarded gated complex on the northern outskirts of the South African capital. Local media reported that Mr Pistorius had shot Steenkamp four times through a bathroom door. She was hit in the head, chest, pelvis and hand, the Afrikaans-language Beeld newspaper said on its website. The coverage reflected shock and dismay at the fall of a sporting hero who commanded rare respect on all sides of the country's racial divide. Mr Pistorius, who was born without a fibula in both legs, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics and reached the 400-metres semi-finals in London 2012. South Africa has some of the world's highest rates of violent crime and many homeowners have weapons to defend themselves against intruders, although Mr Pistorius's complex is surrounded by a three-metre high wall and electric fence.