"48 Hours" goes inside the Oscar Pistorius verdict
Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa read her verdict in a Pretoria, South Africa, courtroom Friday. On Thursday, the judge ruled out the most damning of the charges against the double-amputee athlete - premeditated murder.
"48 Hours" was in the courtroom this week as a South African judge revealed her decision in the case.
The decision, along with a revealing interview with Pistorius' former girlfriend, Samantha Taylor, will be part of a new primetime special, "Blade Runner: The Verdict", airing Friday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
The special will examine all angles of the case, and feature an inside look at Pistorius' home where Steenkamp died.
"Oscar was different with Reeva - Reeva was for keeps," TV host Jen Su, a friend of Pistorius, tells "48 Hours". She had dinner with the couple two weeks before Steenkamp died.
"Blade Runner: The Verdict" features reporting by correspondents Debora Patta, Peter Van Sant and Richard Schlesinger, and is a comprehensive look at what has been called the South African "trial of the century" as told through interviews with friends of the couple as well as legal, forensic and psychological experts.
Pistorius, a double amputee who drew the world's attention at the Olympics, was tried for the murder of Steenkamp, a beautiful model and reality show star, who was shot dead on Feb. 14, 2013, in the bathroom of the runner's home. Prosecutors maintain he shot her in a fit of rage, while Pistorius said he fired his gun through the bathroom door at what he thought was an intruder.
The hour-long broadcast also includes an interview with Pistorius' closest family friend and father figure, Mike Azzie; Samantha Taylor and her mother, Trish Taylor; CBS News animations that bring to life the defense and prosecution cases; and analysis by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Alexander Sasha Bardey and others.
The broadcast will also examine the tendency of some athletes to be violent in their lives off of the field, such as suspended NFL running back Ray Rice.