Pistorius trial delayed by illness of judge's legal aide

The murder trial of South African Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius has been delayed until April 7 because one of the legal experts who will assist the judge in reaching a verdict is sick, abruptly ending expectations Friday that Pistorius was about to testify on his fatal shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Judge Thokozile Masipa announced the delay in court on the day Pistorius' defense lawyers were due to begin presenting their case after four weeks of prosecution-led testimony and a two-day adjournment.

"One of my assessors is not well, so this court is not properly constituted," Masipa said. "I suggest that we postpone this matter until the seventh of April." 

Masipa has two assessors who sit on either side of her in the Pretoria courtroom. South Africa does not have a jury system, and Masipa will deliver a verdict with help from the two assessors, who have limited roles in the day-to-day court proceedings but are there to help Masipa reach a decision.

Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for killing Steenkamp, a model and budding reality TV show star who was 29 at the time of her death. He could also be sent to prison for years if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing.

Pistorius said he shot Steenkamp by accident, mistaking her for an intruder in his home, and fired four rounds from a 9 mm pistol through a closed toilet door in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. Prosecutors said he killed her after a Valentine's Day argument. Pistorius pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and also not guilty to three other firearm-related counts.

Several neighbors, however, testified to hearing a woman's terrified screams before a volley of shots, countering Pistorius' assertions that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder hiding in the toilet cubicle in the middle of the night.

The trial has gripped South Africa and millions of athletics fans around the world who saw Pistorius, a double-amputee, as a symbol of triumph over physical adversity. The sprinter's lower legs were amputated as a baby but he went on to achieve global fame as the "fastest man on no legs," winning gold medals at the Beijing and London Paralympics. 

He also became the first amputee runner at an Olympics when he reached the 400-meter semi-finals in London 2012.   

Wire services