Pistorius Recounts Moment "Everything Changed"

An emotional Pistorius relayed his account of the night he shot Reeva Steenkamp to the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday.

The Olympian testified that on Valentine's Day of 2013 he heard a sound in the night and thought it was an intruder in his bathroom.

"That's the moment that everything changed," Pistorius said.

According to a CNN report, the double amputee described how "he got out of bed on his stumps, found his gun under the bed, and made his way toward the passage from his bedroom to the bathroom."

Prior to firing his gun, Pistorius said he heard a noise from inside the toilet and assumed someone was coming out.

"Before I knew it, I fired four shots at the door," the Paralympian said.

Pistorius told the court he saw the bathroom window open when inspecting the room andscreamed for his girlfriend to call the police.

The Olympian testified that he returned to his room uponhearing no response from the potential intruder or his girlfriend.When he did not find Steenkamp in his room, Pistorius said he put on his prosthetic legs and went back to the bathroom, where he found his girlfriend.

"I was panicking at this point. I didn't know what to make or what to do," Pistorius said. "I don't think I've ever screamed like that. ... I was crying out to the Lord. I was crying out for Reeva.

"I didn't want to believe that it could be Reeva inside the toilet," Pistorius added as he broke down.

During his testimony on Tuesday, the South African sprinter changed into a T-shirt and shorts to replicate the type of clothes he was wearing the night of the shooting. Pistorius then took off his prosthetic legs and stood on his stumps in front of a reconstructed bathroom door in court.

The Paralympian testified that he was "besotted" with Steenkamp. He alsodenied firing a gun through a car sunroof, one of three gun-related charges made against him by one of the prosecution's witnesses.

On March 3, Pistorius pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder and a firearms charge associated with Steenkamp's killing.If convicted, Pistorius faces 25 years in jail.

Written byNicole Bennett

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