Criminology: The Pistorius Case

One gun shot. Two gun shots. Three gun shots. Four gun shots. That is how many shots it took to kill Reeva Steenkamp, Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius girlfriend. On February 14, 2013, Pistorius used his handgun and shot 4 bullets through his locked bathroom door and killed his girlfriend who was right behind the door. Pistorius’ defense lawyer stated that Pistorius thought that someone had broken into his home and was hiding in the bathroom. It did not occur to Pistorius, according to his lawyer, that Steenkamp may have been in the bathroom ("Pistorius, Amid Persistent Cross-Examination, Testifies About Details of Shooting”).
In September 2014, Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide. Barry Steenkamp, Reeva Steenkamp’s father stated

However, the court will find that based on the report of the psychiatrist, Pistorius suffered from non-pathological criminal incapacity not automatism. Non-pathological criminal incapability means that Pistorius suffered a brief loss of self-control ("A Trial Concludes, but for South Africans, the Debate May Be Just Starting”).
Many different criminology theories can be applied to the Pistorius case. The two theories focused on in this paper are: self-control and routine activities theory. The reasoning behind picking these two theories is that Pistorius has had a history of low self-control with guns previously and his father was absent in much of his life therefore not receiving the right guardianship.
Gottfredson and Hirschi explain people with low self-control as “impulsive, insensitive, physical, risk-taking, short sighted, and nonverbal, and they will tend to therefore engage in criminal and analogous acts” because they are less suitable to reflect the damaging penalties of their actions (Conklin). Gottfredson and Hirschi suggest that these characteristics of a stable construct because they bunch together in the same people, are present at an early age, and persist over the life cycle

A month prior to Pistorius shooting his girlfriend, he fired a gun in a crowded restaurant. Pistorius told a friend to take the blame because of the “media hype” surrounding him. According to Kevin Lerena, a professional boxer, said the incident happened at lunchtime on January 11, 2013 when he was with Pistorius and two friends, Darren Fresco and the British sprinter Martyn Rooney, at a restaurant in the upmarket Melrose Arch area of Johannesburg. Fresco passed his gun to Pistorius under the table and told him there was a bullet in the chamber said Lerena. The shot went off in the restaurant leaving a hole in the floor. Before restaurant management came to the table, Pistorius asked Fresco to take the blame for the gun firing. According to Pistorius there was too much media hype surrounding him and he did not need anymore ("Oscar Pistorius Accused of Firing Gun in Restaurant, Trial Hears”).
In another incident, Pistorius shot a bullet through the roof of his car after having an argument with a police officer. Samantha Taylor, Pistorius’ ex-girlfriend, stated that Pistorius carried a gun with him at all times. The incidents happen in September 2012, when Pistorius and Fresco were pulled over for speeding. When the officer saw the gun on Pistorius’ car seat. The policeman picked up the gun and emptied its magazines on the to floor of the car. This is what prompted Pistorius’ outburst ("Oscar Pistorius Accused