Blade kills girlfriend?

VALENTINE'S VICTIM! Olympian sprinter Oscar Pistorius (R) and his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp are all smiles when they were pictured at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg last month. But on Thursday the famed South African 'Blade Runner' tried to hide his face (inset) while coming out of the Boshkop police station after being charged of shooting dead his model girlfriend at his upscale home. Photo: AFP

South African star sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend and will appear in a Pretoria court on Friday, police have confirmed.
Pistorius, 26, is alleged to have killed his 30-year-old girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, who died of gunshot wounds at his home in a gated community in the city on Thursday morning.
Police spokeswoman Denise Beukes said earlier reports that the suspect had been surprised by his girlfriend and had thought she was an intruder did not come from police.
She said there had been reports from neighbours of shouting and screaming coming from the house earlier in the evening. She said police had been called to the house on previous occasions after reports of "a domestic nature".
Pistorius had been due to appear in court on Thursday, but at lunchtime officials announced his appearance been postponed until Friday at Pretoria magistrates court.
Police sources suggested that Pistorius himself had requested that he appear in court as soon as possible yesterday, but that the facilities might not be equipped for people with disabilities.
Police deny that they are giving him special treatment. A spokeswoman had earlier said Pistorius was being "treated like any other normal person".
"He will be bringing a bail application and we will be opposing bail," she said, adding that there were no other suspects in the case.
Police said they had opened a murder investigation after a 30-year-old woman was found dead in the upmarket Silver Lakes community on the outskirts of the capital, where the Paralympic and Olympic runner lives. It is believed she was shot four times.
"We found a 9mm pistol at the scene. A 26-year-old man was taken into custody," a police spokeswoman said.
There was speculation in the local media that Pistorius may have mistaken his girlfriend for a burglar and the shooting could have been a result of a Valentine's Day surprise gone wrong.
A police spokeswoman, Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale, told the Associated Press that officers received a call in the early hours of the morning that there had been a shooting. When police arrived they found paramedics trying to revive the woman, who had been shot and died at the scene, he said.
There was a large police presence outside Pistorius's house and media descended on the estate. Earlier, a police spokesman had described the sprinter as being distraught. "We can't comment on his emotional wellbeing, but he is traumatised after losing someone close to him," he said.
Steenkamp, a well-known South African model, had been dating Pistorius since November and was due to appear in a reality TV show called Tropika Island of Treasure. The law graduate from Port Elizabeth gave an interview to the Sunday Times in South Africa last week in which she described her boyfriend as "an impeccable man who always has her best interests at heart".
In the last 24 hours she was tweeting about her hopes for Valentine's Day, writing: "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? #getexcited #ValentinesDay". In one of her last tweets she responded to one follower who said she was going to make her husband a card with her children. Steenkamp wrote: "That sounds amazing! Wow that's what it's all about! It should be a day of love for everyone :) may it be blessed!"
Steenkamp's publicist Sarit Tomlinson told Sky News that she was a "talented, bright young girl" whose star was rising. "She was the sweetest human being and an absolute angel on Earth," she said. "She was the kindest, most unbelievable girl." She said Steenkamp and Pistorius had been together for a couple of months in "a healthy fabulous relationship".