Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius - Part 1 of 3

On February 14, 2013 — Valentine’s Day — the world was stunned by the news that South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius had shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, inside his home in Pretoria. What followed was one of the most closely watched criminal trials of the 21st century — a case that forced the public to grapple with uncomfortable questions about celebrity, justice, gender-based violence, and how much of a public figure’s private life we ever truly see.
On February 14, 2013 — Valentine’s Day — the world was stunned by the news that South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius had shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, inside his home in Pretoria. What followed was one of the most closely watched criminal trials of the 21st century — a case that forced the public to grapple with uncomfortable questions about celebrity, justice, gender-based violence, and how much of a public figure’s private life we ever truly see.

Listen to all three parts on Patreon today.

Sources:

• Carlin, John. Chase Your Shadow: The Trials of Oscar Pistorius. Harper, 2014.
• The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius, Netflix
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6B-13qTqdQ
• https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6657450/2025/09/26/oscar-pistorius-reeva-steenkamp-legacy/
• https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/other-sport/athletics/oscar-pistorius-prison-release-girlfriend-32894430
• https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/athletics/oscar-pistorius-girlfriend-prison-release-36265400
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-21705374