3 – Did Reeva Steenkamp Predict Her Death in a Painting?
On February 14, 2013, the murder of model Reeva Steenkamp rocked South Africa. It became worldwide news when it was revealed that her boyfriend, Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, nicknamed ‘Blade Runner,’ was accused of the crime. At the trial, it was determined that Steenkamp was locked in the bathroom and Pistorius had fired his gun at the bathroom door. According to his defense attorney, Pistorius thought Steenkamp was in the bedroom and that an intruder has broken in.
Pistorius was ultimately found guilty of culpable homicide, but this ruling was later overturned when the athlete was found guilty of murder. His initial six-year sentence caused outrage for being too lenient, and eventually, it was increased to over 13 years. Rather than going into detail about what did and didn’t happen on that fateful Valentine’s Day, I would like to focus on Steenkamp’s painting which apparently predicted her death by shooting.
A few months after the death of their daughter, Steenkamp’s parents appeared in a documentary and showed a drawing that Reeva completed when she was just 14 years old. It was an extremely disturbing picture that showed an angel, a gunman, and a stairway to heaven. In the image, the man is standing next to a tree in the field, and he is holding a gun. On the other side, it was a two-part drawing that joined together; there is a young girl wearing angel wings and a ladder going up to heaven. The girl is clearly terrified as her hands are covering her mouth and there is a look of horror on her face.
During the interview, Reeva’s mother discusses their grief and also admits to feeling guilty that she and her husband were unable to protect their daughter. Mrs. Steenkamp cannot understand why Pistorius kept firing his gun; Reeva had already been hit at least once yet he continued to shoot at the bathroom door. Very few people now believe Pistorius’ story that he mistook Reeva for an intruder. When Reeva’s body was discovered, the grim scene horrified investigators as there was blood on the furniture, walls, and stairs. Reeva is sadly not around to explain what her drawing meant.