In a startling turn of events, the lead investigator in the murder case against Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius has been replaced as he himself is facing seven counts of attempted murder for which he'll stand trial in May.
The charges brought against detective Hilton Botha are unrelated to the Pistorius case, stemming instead from a 2011 incident where the investigator allegedly fired his weapon at a "minibus taxi loaded with passengers," according to a report from The Guardian.
The disclosure, along with accusations of sloppy work at the crime scene investigation, presents another setback for the prosecution's efforts to deny bail for Pistorius.
On the day preceding Botha's dismissal, he "had crumbled under defense cross-examination […] after he wrongly claimed to have found boxes of 'testosterone' in Pistorius's bedroom and admitted that police had no evidence contradicting the athlete's version of events," the New York Times reports.
Pistorius has been accused of premeditated murder in the February 14 shooting death of his former girlfriend, 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp.
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Political News
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.