Olympic parapolegic sprinter Osar Pistorius wept in court Friday as prosecutors said they'll pursue a charge of premeditated murder against him for killing his model girlfriend, meaning he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
His tears even drew the attention of Chief Magistrate Desmond Nasir, who at one point simply said: "Take it easy."
The athlete himself initially appeared solemn and collected in his first court appearance, but later sobbed loud enough for his cries to be heard over the more than 100 spectators gathered for the hearing.
The arrest of the double-amputee athlete shocked South Africa, which awoke the morning of Valentine's Day to hear that Reena Steenkamp had been shot to death at Pistorius' home in a gated community in an eastern suburb of South Africa's capital, Pretoria.
Pistorius entered no plea at the hearing and his family left quickly, without speaking to journalists. In a statement later Friday, his family and management questioned the criminal charge the 26-year-old athlete faces.
"The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms," the statement read, without elaborating.
The statement also said Pistorius wanted to "send his deepest sympathies to the family of Reeva."
Pistorius made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete at any games. He didn't win a medal but did make the semifinals of the 400 meters and the final of the 4X400 relay, propelling the world's best-known Paralympian to the level of an international track star and one of the world's best-known sportsmen.
