The Prosecution 
 
 Pistorius claims he shot and killed his law student and model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, because he thought she was an intruder and felt vulnerable without his prosthetic legs.  PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius' murder trial enters a critical phase Monday as his defense team attempts to recover from a faltering start and reinforce the disabled athlete's claim that he fatally shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by mistake because he was overwhelmed by a long-held fear of violent crime. Johan Stander was the first person the athlete called after shooting Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year. South Africa does not have trial by jury, meaning Masipa will decide, with the help of two assessors, if Pistorius' overall account is believable and whether the apparent inconsistencies in his testimony count against him or are unimportant in the bigger picture. If Mr Pistorius is acquitted of murder, the court must consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive about 15 years in prison. If Pistorius' defense, which will resume calling witnesses Monday after a two-week trial recess, can show that his story of a tragic error is a reasonable explanation, even the double-amputee runner's shaky testimony would be rendered irrelevant and the judge should acquit him of murder, legal experts say.
– Witnesses for the defense are again taking the stand after a 17-day break in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial. Pointing to scheduling conflicts, prosecutor Gerrie Nel called for the break; judge Thokozile Masipa supported the idea given the lengthy trial, NBC News reports. It was originally supposed to take just three weeks. What's next for the trial, in what the AP calls "a critical phase": Defense lawyer Barry Roux has said he'll call witnesses to testify that Pistorius, when stressed, screams like a woman, Eyewitness News reports. That's important because neighbors said they heard male and female voices shouting before gunshots rang out; the defense is arguing that the screams were all Pistorius'. An ex-girlfriend, however, testified that he "screams like a man"—a sound she was quite familiar with, given that he screamed at her often. The first person to testify today, neighbor Johan Stander, says Pistorius "was broken" after he shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the BBC reports. Stander was the first call Pistorius made after the shooting; he quoted Pistorius as saying, "I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder. Please come quick." "I saw the truth that morning and I feel it," Stander said. "He was desperate to save her (and) prayed to God." The defense may call up to 17 witnesses. One, a psychologist, is expected to testify regarding Pistorius' sense of vulnerability. Despite questions over contradictory statements from Pistorius, he should be found not guilty if his team can show that Steenkamp's death was a mistake, experts tell the AP. The new testimony follows a columnist's allegation that Pistorius took acting classes to prepare for the trial.