so dominant in the first half

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Two weeks ago and 21 witnesses later, the prosecution rested its case against Oscar Pistorius. . Now with the trial resuming, Pistorius lawyers get their chance to call witnesses and present their side of the story. Led by seasoned criminal defence lawyer Barry Roux, the Pistorius defence team will go on the offensive as its tries to convince the Court that Pistorius acted reasonably when he fired four fatal shots through a bathroom door killing Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius has stated he believed Steenkamp was an intruder when he killed her. The prosecution is arguing that it was no accident: Pistorius intended to kill Steenkamp. So the defence team will look to discredit the prosecutions evidence. Here are some of the things that will be the focus of the Pistorius defence. The Couple: Were They Arguing That Night? Pistorius alleges that the room was pitch dark that night. As a result, he had no way of knowing that while he was retrieving two fans from the balcony, Steenkamp had left the bed to go to the bathroom. This is a key component of Pistorius defence and for that reason the prosecution vigorously sought to discredit it at the outset of the trial. They called a number of witnesses, including Michelle Burger, Charl Johnson, Dr. Johan Stipp and Estelle van der Merwe, who testified that the lights were on and they heard arguing and screaming. Stipp recounted that he heard female screams that sounded like a woman "scared out of her mind." Burger described female screams as "petrifying" and added this: "I was sitting in bed and I heard her screams," Burger testified. "She screamed terribly and she yelled for help. I heard the screams again. It was worse. It was more intense. Just after her screams, I heard four shots. Four gun-shots... You could hear it was blood curdling screams. You cant translate it into words. The anxiousness in her voice, and fear. It leaves you cold. She screamed terribly and she yelled for help". The defence team will call other neighbours who will say that they did not hear screams that night or the couple arguing. The Couple: Did The Go To Bed At 10pm? According to Pistorius, the couple was in bed by 10pm. However, pathologist Professor Gert Saayman testified that food found in Steenkamps stomach suggests she ate within two hours of her death shortly after 3am. The defence has already sought to discredit this testimony when they called pathologist Professor Jan Botha as the first witness. He testified that it was difficult to determine with any certainty when Steenkamp ate that night. Of course, the arguing and screaming would also undermine Pistorius version of an early bedtime. The Shooting According to Ballistics Expert Captain Christian Mangena, Steenkamp was facing the door when she was shot (rather than with her side facing the door). The first shot hit her in the right hip. The shot broke her hip and threw her back onto a magazine holder. She then assumed a defensive position by crossing her arms over her head. The second shot missed but broke into fragments and bruised her back. The third shot hit her in the right arm, which in the opinion of the expert, supports the conclusion she was shielding herself from fire. The fourth shot hit her in the head killing her almost instantly. The prosecution would argue that this evidence establishes that Steenkamp was in the bathroom hiding from Pistorius when she was shot. If she had simply gone to the bathroom, it would have been more likely that she would not have been facing the door as she was. Mangena also testified that there was likely a pause between the first and second shot. This is important because it would explain the petrified screams of Steenkamp heard by neighbours. When it was put to Mangena by Roux that the four shots could have been fired in rapid succession with no time for screams, he responded that it was unlikely given the location of Steenkamps wounds. Mangena reasoned that if the four shots were fired in rapid succession, her first two wounds would have been in similar locations. They were not: one was in the hip and the other in the arm. The defence team will call its own ballistic experts to tell a different story. The goal will be to undermine the prosecutions position that Steenkamp was hiding in the bathroom from an enraged Pistorius. Did Pistorius Sleep On The Left Side Of The Bed? Pistorius told police he slept on the left side of the bed that night because of a bad shoulder. According to ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor, Pistorius typically slept on the right side of the bed. As well, Steenkamps overnight bag and shoes were neatly placed on the left side of the bed raising questions as to who slept where. Why is this important? Pistorius gun holster was on the left side of the bed. If Steenkamp had been sleeping on the left side of the bed, then it would have been more likely he would have noticed she was not in the bed when he retrieved his gun. Pistorius Was A Volatile, Jealous Man With An Affinity For Guns The prosecution has painted a picture of Pistorius as a volatile and jealous man who loved guns and was trigger happy. As well, in response to Pistorius accusing Steenkamp of flirting with another man, she sent him the following text two weeks before she was killed: "Im scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you will react to me". As well, Taylor testified that after being pulled over for speeding, Pistorius recklessly fired his gun through the sunroof. In addition, both Kevin Lerena and Adam Fresco testified that Pistorius fired a gun in a crowded restaurant hitting Lerena in the foot. Pistorius then asked Darren Fresco to take the blame. The defence team will argue that Pistorius is not gun-crazed. Rather, as a double amputee in a violent South African culture with a high crime rate, he feels more vulnerable and his reaction to the sounds in the bathroom that night were completely reasonably. The defence will also look to focus on a botched police investigation complete with contaminated evidence. Overall, there are a number of improbabilities with Pistorius story and the defence team has no choice but to work hard to discredit the prosecutions case. However, the hurdles Pistorius is facing are significant. Perhaps each piece of evidence against Pistorius when viewed discreetly and in isolation is insufficient to result in a conviction. However, when viewed in their totality they do conspire to tell a story of a domestic dispute turned tragic. As a result, it would not be a surprise to see Pistorius convicted of murder and sentenced to 15 years in jail. . Boston is making its first appearance in the ALCS since 2008. For Detroit, its a third straight trip to the ALCS and its fourth in eight years. . Vinatieri will face his former team in Sundays AFC championship game.Post-season Record: 20-9 (Colts were 2-1 when Vinatieri was on injured reserve following 2009 season). . "There was no basis for the story and QMI unreservedly retracts the story in its entirety," the news agency said in a statement. "QMI regrets the error." QMI Agency quoted sources as saying Crosby was arrested late Tuesday while driving a rented Porsche.BARCELONA, Spain -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored his Spanish league-leading 25th goal to give Real Madrid a lacklustre 1-0 win at Malaga on Saturday, when the pacesetters extended their unbeaten run to 30 consecutive matches in all competitions. Diego Costa made sure Atletico Madrid stayed within three points of its crosstown rivals by scoring his 22nd league goal of the season in a 1-0 win at home over Espanyol. Ronaldo netted the winner in the 23rd minute, and a tired Madrid was fortunate Malaga failed to muster a comeback after pushing the visitors into their area for the final 10 minutes. Third-place Barcelona will enter Sundays match against Osasuna seven points behind Madrid with the two powerhouses set to clash in the Spanish capital next weekend. Madrids win was tarnished by the loss of Karim Benzema to a right thigh injury after colliding with Ronaldo in the first half. "We suffered, above all in the second half," Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso said. "They pressed us and it was tough for us to move the ball. These are three important points. There are 10 games left and we have to play each one like its the last." Elsewhere, Rayo Vallecano beat Almeria 3-1 to provisionally escape the relegation zone with a third consecutive victory, while Celta Vigo earned an entertaining 1-0 win at Levante. The opening stage of the match at La Rosaleda Stadium saw a vibrant back-and-forth exchange before Ronaldo put Madrid ahead with a wonderful solo effort. The Ballon dOr winner looked to be hemmed in by two defenders on the edge of the area, but he took three touches to his right and lashed a bouncing strike beyond goalkeeper Willy Caballero. Ronaldos goal gave him 39 goals in 36 games in all competitions this campaign. Ronaldo went close twice more shortly after, first being blocked by Caballero and then sending Gareth Bales lobbed pass into the side netting before he ran into Benzema. Benzema was treated on the sideline by team doctors before he asked to be substituted, ceding his spot to Angel Di Maria, in the 31st. Former Malaga standout Frrancisco "Isco" Alarcon, who joined Madrid this summer, wasted a golden chance in the 51st when he sent the ball sailing high after Di Maria set him up for a one-on-one with Caballero. . Isco was applauded by his former fans when replaced by Jese Rodriguez less than 10 minutes later. Madrid, so dominant in the first half, lost control of the ball and Malaga tilted the match in its favour led by tireless forward Nordin Amrabat. But defender Sergio Sanchez blasted his teams most promising opportunity to level high in the 76th. "This team is consistent game after game," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We are ready for the clasico." But before receiving fierce rival Barcelona, Madrid hosts Schalke on Tuesday with one foot in the Champions League quarterfinals after winning their first meeting 6-1. The first half at Vicente Calderon Stadium was ruled by the defences and featured a good save each by Atleticos Courtois Thibaut and Espanyols Kiko Casilla. Diego Costa broke through in the 55th when he received a throughball from David Villa, easily fended off Diego Colottos timid attempt to slow him down, and fired the ball past Casilla. Courtois took a hard hit to the head when Jhon Cordoba inadvertently kneed him, but the Belgian recovered and four minutes later in the 77th David Lopezs bouncing strike struck his head before falling wide of the post. "Espanyol played a great game and complicated our lives a lot," Diego Costa said. "But that just makes us stronger." Rayo won thanks to Joaquin Larriveys double after Alberto Bueno headed in the opener. Fernando Soriano scored for Almeria. Rayo rose three points above danger. Almeria was left in the drop zone along with Valladolid and Real Betis before they play on Sunday. Celta forward Manuel "Nolito" Agudo scored from a well-orchestrated counterattack in the 19th. David Barral missed a penalty for Levante in the 61st. The loss was Levantes first in seven straight home games. Both teams stayed in the middle of the standings. ' ' '