The trial of double-amputee Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius on charges of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp will begin on March 3, 2014, a judge ruled Monday.
Judge Desmond Nair, in coordination with defence lawyers and the prosecution, set the trial to run through March 20 next year at a high court in Pretoria.
Pistorius, who shed tears as he prayed with his brother Carl and sister Aimee while awaiting the start of the hearing, was handed the eight-page indictment sheet during the brief court session.
The charges were not read out in court.
The athlete stands accused of premeditated murder and the illegal possession of ammunition.
“The accused did unlawfully and intentionally kill a person, to wit, Reeva Steenkamp,” according to the formal charge. The girlfriend died at the scene from “multiple gunshot wounds.” Pistorius, 26, is accused of using his 9mm gun to shoot four rounds at Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, through a locked bathroom door at his upmarket home in Pretoria on February 14.
The athlete admits he shot her, but says he mistook her for an intruder.
Steenkamp would have turned 30 on Monday.
State prosecutors plan to call 107 witnesses, according to the indictment.
Some of the witnesses will testify that they “heard a woman scream, followed by moments of silence, then heard gunshots and then more screaming,” according to the indictment.
“We are confident the case will run smoothly,” said Medupi Simasiku, spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority.
The prosecution declined to state whether it believed three weeks would be enough for the trial, given that the bail hearing alone took a week to be completed.
Pistorius has been out on bail since February. Nair, who was also the judge during the lengthy bail sessions, said the same bail conditions would apply.
Nair rejected a fresh application by the South African public broadcaster, SABC, to have the trial televised. A similar application by another channel was dismissed in February.
If found guilty of premeditated murder, Pistorius could face a life sentence. He will be tried by a single judge, as the country does not use a jury system.
Known as Blade Runner for his carbon fibre prosthetics, Pistorius was born without calves and his legs were amputated when he was 11 months old.
He became the first double-amputee to compete in the regular Olympic Games, in London last year, and carried the South African flag at the closing ceremony.
He has won numerous medals, including gold, in the Paralympics since 2004.
Pistorius and Steenkamp started dating several months before she was killed.