PRETORIA: A South African court adjourned Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial until Monday after prosecutors asked for extra time to consult with their final witnesses before closing their case against the 
Paralympian.
“It’s a reasonable request that I cannot refuse. We shall postpone this matter until Monday,” Judge Thokozile Masipa said.
Earlier in Wednesday’s proceedings, the court heard evidence from a police ballistics expert who reconstructed the dying moments of Reeva Steenkamp, testimony that is considered key to establishing whether Pistorius intentionally shot dead his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day 2013, as the prosecution argues.
Pistorius, 27, insists he shot 29-year-old Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder.
The state aims to close its case against the athlete early next week, prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court.
But he argued it would be “irresponsible” to call the last four or five witnesses without consulting them again first.
On day 13 of the high-profile trial, police ballistics expert Chris Mangena said Steenkamp was shot first in the hip and had her hands wrapped protectively around her head when a bullet entered her brain.
She also sustained bullet wounds to her right elbow and left hand.
