Oscar Pistorius "must pay for killing my daughter," Reeva Steenkamp's father, Barry Steenkamp, begged a judge in tears on Tuesday. The sentencing hearing of the South African double-amputee Olympic athlete, which is expected to conclude on Friday, will decide if Pistorius will face a jail term of 15 years after firing through a locked bathroom door on Valentine's Day and killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013.
Pistorius has claimed that he believed an intruder was in the house when he fired through the door, and was first jailed for manslaughter. However, others, such as Steenkamp's father, believe the couple had been arguing. Following an appeal by the prosecution, Pistorius' conviction was changed to murder late last year.
"Every morning, afternoon, and night, I think about her all the time," Barry Steenkamp said after taking the stand of the first time in the three-year trial. He admitted he has stabbed himself with needles to try to replicate the pain his daughter felt in her final moments. Barry Steenkamp also asked the court to release the photos of his daughter's body after she was killed. "I would like the world to see … the pain she went through," he said.
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The defense has called Pistorius "a broken man." His attorneys have argued he is too mentally unwell to serve more jail time.
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