Oscar Pistorius reportedly once asked his friend to take the blame when his gun went off in a restaurant.
The Paralympic athlete's murder trial continued today (05.03.14) as Pistorius' friend Kevin Lerena told the court the athlete pleaded with their pal to accept the fallout when he allegedly accidentally fired a gunshot under the table in a restaurant in Johannesburg, South Africa, in January of last year.
The incident took place just weeks before the London 2012 gold medallist shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp three times through the toilet door of his Pretoria home, later claiming he thought she was an intruder.
Lerena said in the witness stand that another friend, Darren Fresco, passed his gun to Pistorius under the table and told him there was a bullet in it just before the gun went off.
When management came over to investigate, the athlete reportedly asked Fresco to take the fall, saying: "Just say it was you. I don't want any tension around me. There's too much media hype around me."
Yesterday (04.03.14), neighbours claimed they heard cries for help and a woman's screams during the incident, but Pistorius' defense argued today that the shouts were the sports star expressing his distress in the aftermath.
Defence lawyer Barry Roux added that former model Reeva wouldn't have been able to scream due to the injury to her brain.
The trial continues this week.
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