Accused murderer Oscar Pistorius made a “sinister” remark to a friend of slain model Reeva Steenkamp in court Tuesday, according to the victim’s pal.
During a break of Pistorius’ murder trial, the disgraced Olympian allegedly told Steenkamp’s pal Kim Myers, “How can you sleep at night?”
“My client, Kim Myers was approached by Oscar Pistorius in court today and in a very sinister tone was asked ‘how can you sleep at night?,’ ” Myers’ lawyer Ian Levitt said.
“My client views this unwelcome approach as extremely disturbing and I have been in communication with the national prosecuting authorities as well as the investigating officer.”
Levitt was not in court to hear the alleged comment. But he said others heard it.
“It’s important to confirm this. It was in front of witnesses. Journalists have witnessed this,” Levitt said.
Myers and her family had been very close to Steenkamp for years. The victim even lived with them for a time, early in her modeling career, and called them her second family.
Pistorius denied the allegation.
“I’ve asked the client and he denies that he said it,” the sprinter’s lawyer Brian Webber said.
Levitt claims he’s told prosecutors about the incident, but South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority said it would not be acting on the report.
On the witness stand Tuesday, the defense presented testimony from a neighbor of Pistorius, who said the Blade Runner screamed out for help, moments after fatally shooting Steenkamp.
Pistorius’ lawyers want to show the court how their client appropriately flipped out after realizing he had fired on Steenkamp in a tragic case of mistaken identity.
The prosecution believes Pistorius murdered his gorgeous girlfriend after a bitter argument in the early morning hours of Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2013.
“I heard somebody saying help help help,” neighbor and defense witness Eontle Nhlengethwa told the high court in Pretoria.
“It was a very loud sound, my lady [judge]. It was the sound of a male person’s voice.”
The double-amputee Pistorius, 27, could have 25 years to life behind bars if he’s convicted of premeditated murder.
He could also get culpable homicide, or the equivalent to manslaughter, and get up to 15 years in prison.
Pistorius claims he believed there was an intruder in his home, prompting him to open fire on the bathroom adjoining his master bedroom.
Instead, his bullets tore through the 29-year-old Steenkamp, a model, reality TV star and law school grad.
Nhlengethwa, who said he runs a civil engineering company, said he’s resided in the same gated community where Pistorius lives, since late 2009.
“He was basically that friendly neighbor,” Nhlengethwa said.
The witness also described meeting Steenkamp the weekend before she was killed and was struck by her incredibly friendly demeanor.
“I don’t think I will ever forget that moment,” he said. “She just opened her arms. She just came and hugged me.”
Before last year’s shooting, Pistorius was one of the world’s most beloved athletes. The double-amputee wore J-shaped prosthetic legs to run in the 2012 London Olympics, and became a symbol of perseverance and hope.