Media MonsterPolice Blotter

The Latest Bizarre Oscar Pistorius Turn: The Lead Investigator Faces Attempted Murder Charges

Aside from being a crazy story to begin with, the Oscar Pistorius murder case was noteworthy for the number of Pistorius-related details that, especially with the benefit of hindsight, appeared either creepy or downright ominous. Well, we’re not sure the latest hard-to-believe development relating to the ongoing case fits into the “creepy” or “ominous” category, so we’ll create a new, catch-all label under which this new twist will fit: we’ll call it “Oscar Pistorius WTF.” So, today in Oscar Pistorius WTF:

As Oscar Pistorius returned to court Thursday to seek bail, the sensational case took a new turn when police said the lead investigator is facing seven counts of attempted murder stemming from an incident four years ago.

Hold on. Not sure we heard that right. Let’s hear that again:

[P]olice said the lead investigator is facing seven counts of attempted murder stemming from an incident four years ago.

Is this common? Lead investigators in murder cases to be facing attempted murder charges themselves? It’s not, right? That can’t be common, right? It’s only happening now because why would anything about this damn case proceed like anything approaching normal (as wrong as it feels to call any murder case “normal” in any way), right? OK, well, maybe we’re overreacting. Let’s hear some of the details of this attempted murder case:

That investigator, Hilton Botha, and several other police officers apparently fired at a minibus they were chasing in late 2009, spokesman Neville Malila told CNN affiliate eNCA.

OK, well, yeah, obviously that sounds pretty serious…

The officers were allegedly drunk at the time, the spokesman said.

Oh, come on now. We give up. We’re in the Tyson Zone, and there’s no going back. This trial seems doomed to be a circus from beginning to end, and in that circus it’ll inevitably get lost that, y’know, a person is dead.

Because that’s what happens with stories like this – the nonstop coverage of the case becomes the story, at the expense of what the case is trying to decide. The Pistorius case didn’t need any help to become a casualty of that kind of media coverage mindset. It has the help now anyway. Welcome to the latest twist on the same O.J. Simpson/Casey Anthony/Jodi Arias story. Enjoy – and why wouldn’t you enjoy, since no one will be talking about the actual disturbing (alleged) underlying cause for this shitshow anyway?

UPDATE: Worth mentioning investigator Hilton Botha’s side of things:

#OscarPistorius officer Hilton Botha tells @encanews that attempted murder charges against him stem from his pursuit of murder suspect

— Karyn Maughan (@karynmaughan) February 21, 2013

Botha: we were trying to apprehend a second suspect in an office park murder. The taxi tried to push us off the road. We fired @encanews

— Karyn Maughan (@karynmaughan) February 21, 2013

Botha: my blood was never tested for alcohol in the aftermath of the shooting. I wasn’t drunk. #OscarPistorius @encanews

— Karyn Maughan (@karynmaughan) February 21, 2013

Botha: I don’t understand why case was reinstated yesterday. I can only think this is linked to my work on #OscarPistorius @encanews

— Karyn Maughan (@karynmaughan) February 21, 2013

Botha tells @karynmaughan the NPA didn’t inform him of charges being reinstated. He found out from another cop. #OscarPistorius @encanews

— Shahan Ramkissoon (@ShahanR) February 21, 2013

boy this sure is gonna be crazy huh i mean [retreats into dark room alone, never returns]

[CNN]

AFP photo, via Getty