Don't jump to conclusions on Oscar Pistorius: ex-girlfriend

At the most basic level, one idea Pistorius promoted with his running was that facts speak for themselves.

Fact: A man whose lower legs were amputated when he was11 months old can compete at the Olympics.

Fact: Pistorius changed attitudes when he made history at the London Games.

Fact: With each click-click-click of his prosthetic limbs on the track, he proved how wrong we can be when we make assumptions about people, when we try to guess what they are and aren't capable of.

Those are valuable lessons, especially now, when the lack of complete facts and pressure of so many questions can quickly lead to bum conclusions and answers.

Certainly, if Pistorius is found guilty of murdering Reeva Steenkamp, the lessons from London will not survive. Everything he achieved on the track would be rendered secondary.

Police said Steenkamp was shot four times in Pistorius' villa on Thursday. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said in court he would pursue a charge of premeditated murder.

And if the charge doesn't stick? If there is another explanation? If, say, it was somehow an accident? How might we feel then? Too early to say.

His family issued a statement that said "the alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms" whatever that means.

A police spokeswoman, Brigadier Denise Beukes, said there previously were "allegations of a domestic nature" and "incidents" whatever that means at Pistorius' home.

"I'm not going to elaborate on it," Beukes said.

Too many questions and no answers. That shouldn't become an excuse to now speculate. It seemed inappropriate to be discussing matters so sad in 140 characters or less. But an ex-girlfriend of Pistorius made an important point on Twitter. "All I am saying is let him speak, let his side be heard without jumping to conclusions," Jenna Edkins wrote.

... contd.

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