Photos show 'trail of blood' in Pistorius' home

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP):

PHOTOGRAPHS OF Oscar Pistorius' cocked 9 mm pistol lying on a mat on the blood-stained bathroom floor and the blood splatter on walls and furniture in his house were shown at the double-amputee Olympian's murder trial Thursday, building a detailed picture of the scene where he killed Reeva Steenkamp.

One of the first two police officers at the house to investigate the shooting testified that he followed a "trail of blood" when he got there.

Former police colonel G.S. van Rensburg said he traced spots and bigger blood marks downstairs where Steenkamp lay dead from three gunshot wounds and followed them across the floor, up the staircase, through a small lounge area and then into Pistorius' bedroom. Ultimately, van Rensburg reached the bathroom where the world-famous athlete shot his girlfriend in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year.

There, van Rensburg said he found Pistorius' gun, hammer back and the safety off, on a mat. There were also spent bullet casings, cell phones and a blood-soaked towel on the bathroom floor, and the cricket bat Pistorius said he used to break down the toilet door.