During the Monday session, a psychiatrist testified that the athlete was suffering from anxiety disorder stemming from his double amputation as an infant and his unstable parents.
Dr. Meryl Vorster further claimed he is currently depressed and guilty from having killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. As a result, Nel pushed for a psychiatric evaluation while comparing the athlete’s mental state to post-traumatic stress.
According to CNN analyst Kelly Phelps, the prosecutor's extremely unusual move is essentially an effort to maneuver the court into considering an insanity or "capacity" defense even though the athlete's legal team is not mounting one; adding that this has never been done before. Meanwhile, Pistorius' lead defense lawyer, Barry Roux, is fighting back, saying Nel is oversimplifying the law. The question was left unresolved, according to reports, when court adjourned for the day.
According to the Psychiatrist, Pistorius would have experienced the amputation of both of his legs below the knee at that time as a "traumatic assault" because he was too young to speak or understand what was happening to him. His parents then put pressure on him to appear normal, and his mother also abused alcohol at times after she and Pistorius' father divorced.
Are these excuses justifying he murdered his girlfriend in cold blood thinking she was an intruder? What has this "anxiety disorder" got to do with him killing someone who was allegedly staying over at his house at the time of the shooting?
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