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PRETORIA, South Africa -- Blood on the stairs, walls and furniture, a cocked 9 mm pistol, bloody towels, fallen wall tiles. Nike Roshe Run Print Trainers . Like pieces of an unfinished puzzle, the photos of the blood-splattered interior of Oscar Pistorius home gave a fragmented picture Thursday of his girlfriends violent end. One of the first police officers to arrive at the scene testified at the athletes murder trial that he followed a "trail of blood" when he got there. Recounting what he saw in macabre detail, former police colonel G.S. van Rensburg said he traced spots and bigger blood marks downstairs where Reeva Steenkamp lay dead from three gunshot wounds, then followed them across the floor, up the stairs, through a small lounge area and into Pistorius bedroom. Ultimately, he reached the bathroom where the double-amputee Olympian shot his girlfriend in the early hours of Valentines Day last year. There, van Rensburg said he found Pistorius gun, its hammer back and safety off, lying on a mat. Nearby were spent bullet casings, cellphones and a blood-soaked towel, as well as the cricket bat Pistorius says he used to smash open the toilet door to get to the fatally wounded Steenkamp. In the toilet cubicle, a dark pool of blood was on the floor as well as wooden splinters from the broken door. The mat the gun lay on was clean, in glaring contrast to the blood stains all around it, head prosecutor Gerrie Nel noted. The 27-year-old Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of murder, and also faces three firearms charges. He has pleaded not guilty and says he shot the 29-year-old model by mistake, believing she was an intruder hiding in the toilet cubicle. Prosecutors charge he intentionally shot Steenkamp after an argument. Using the photos, the prosecution created a detailed picture of the scene. One showed a gun holster on the side of the bed where Pistorius says Steenkamp was sleeping that night. The size of the bedroom suggested Pistorius would have had to walk close to where he says he thought she was still sleeping to get to the bathroom. Pistorius mostly kept his head down, avoiding the TV monitors where the images were shown. The screen next to Pistorius was switched off before the exhibit began. Van Rensburg confirmed the photos reflected how he found the scene just before 4 a.m., about half an hour after prosecutors say Pistorius shot Steenkamp. The former police officer said he had been on duty for about 24 hours by then, dealing with other cases. The photos showed blood stains splattered on a white wall close to a group of trophies in the Paralympic champions home. Running on carbon-fiber blades, Pistorius medaled repeatedly at the Paralympic games and also competed at the London Olympics, but didnt win a medal. Photos of the bathroom showed broken wall tiles on the floor and a metal panel that had been damaged, apparently after being hit by a hard object. There was an air gun and a baseball bat near the door to Pistorius bedroom. Pictures of the bedroom showed a cabinet with multiple pairs of sunglasses and a blood-smeared box of watches, as well as blood stains on the carpets. Van Rensburg described how, on arriving at Pistorius house, he saw Steenkamps body near the entrance covered in towels and plastic bags that the daughter of the estate manager said she had used, with assistance from Pistorius, to try to stop the bleeding. Pistorius was pacing in the kitchen, van Rensburg said. "I asked him what happened but he didnt answer me," the former police officer said. "He was in tears." "We then followed the trail of blood up the stairs." Nike Air Max 90 Essential Trainers . - The Indians are going down a familiar path with a star pitcher. Nike Blazers Mens Sale . The halftime video session worked. The Rockets didnt make another 3, and were held to a franchise-low in points in the second half of the Thunders 104-92 win.VANCOUVER -- Once the Chicago Blackhawks got rolling, there was little the Vancouver Canucks could do to stop a team determined to get back to its winning ways. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad each had a goal and an assist in the second period Wednesday as Chicagos quick-strike offence turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead in a span of 7:41 to snap a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over Vancouver. "We kind of lost ourselves there a little bit in the second period. It turned into a little bit of a track meet," said Canucks assistant coach Mike Sullivan. "It wasnt from a lack of chances on our part. We had a 4-on-2 and 3-on-1 that we dont convert, then shortly thereafter one ends up in our net." Marian Hossa had the other goal for Chicago (33-10-13), while Saad added an empty netter late. Corey Crawford made 29 saves to get the win. "Theyre a good team. They havent won a couple of Stanley Cups for no reason," said Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo, who finished with 36 saves. "Its disappointing being up 2-0 and losing the lead so quickly like that. "Weve got to play 60 minutes against teams like that. For the majority of the game I thought we played really well but we had a little bit of a lapse and its game over." The Blackhawks four goals in that 7:31 barrage -- which came on just five shots -- helped end Chicagos recent 0-2-2 run. "They had a few chances early in the game and they kept on pressing," said Luongo. "Once they got one I felt like it deflated our team and they kept scoring." With the victory, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville passed Dick Irvin to move into the sole possession of third place on the all-time NHL coaching wins list with 693 as Chicago improved to 10-1-3 in the second game of back to backs this season. "Im fortunate and happy with the places Ive been," said Quenneville. "Took a little while to get this last one, but certainly its been fun and well keep pushing forward." Chris Higgins and Tom Sestito had the goals for Vancouver (27-19-9), which dropped its second straight. The Canucks hold down the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, but the ninth-place Phoenix Coyotes are three points back with two games in hand. Vancouver is 2-3-0 in the absence of suspended head coach John Tortorella, who will sit out one more game after he tried to get into the Calgary Flames locker-room after that infamous line brawl on Jan. 18. The Canucks have been held to two goals or fewer in nine of their last 10 games and have just four wins in 15 outings. "We have to fight through this," said Canucks forward Daniel Sedin, whose goal-scoring drought is now at 14 games. "Weve got to believe in what we do out there and start making plays -- I think thats the main thing. When we have the puck I think were too passive. "I think when we have the puck we have to start believing in what were doing." Things were looking good for the home side early in the second period after Sestito doubled the Canucks 1-0 lead with his fifth of the season at 2:44. But the Blackhawks fifth-ranked power play finally made a breakthrough against the leagues No. 3 penalty kill when Hossa finished off a pretty tic-tac-toe passing sequence for his 23rd at 6:30. Chicago then tied things 3:39 later when Saad scored his 15th of the season on a nice deflection. A couple of Luongos Canadian Olympic teammates then conspired to give the Blackhawks a lead they wouldnt surrender. Toews scored his 18th at 10:47 before Sharp rounded out the blitz at 14:27 when he wired a shot farside for his 27th. "Thhey had a few chances early in the game and they kept on pressing," said Luongo. Nike Air Max 2015 Uk Price. "Once they got one I felt like it deflated our team and they kept scoring." Vancouver had a chance to get back in the game later in the period, but the leagues 29th-ranked power play, which entered the night on a dismal 2-for-36 run, failed to generate anything. Needing a big third, the Canucks were unable to find a way past Crawford on another man advantage midway through the period as Toews sprawled on the goal-line to keep Higgins effort out. Saad then iced it with 38 seconds left into an empty net. "I think guys are discouraged," said Sullivan. "Weve hit a bump in the road here and weve got to try and dig ourselves out of it. For me, theres no sense putting your head down and shrugging your shoulders. This is an unforgiving league." The Blackhawks grabbed sole possession of first in the Central Division with the victory and sit second in the conference. "Things went smoothly for us the first part of the season and going through what were going through right now is when you find out about everyone," said Quenneville. "(I) still think that stretch hasnt been bad, but it feels so much better when you have that type of effort and get a result as well." With the Canucks set to begin a five-game road trip on Friday night that will take them into the Olympic break, players from both teams heading to the Games in Sochi, Russia, were honoured before the opening faceoff. Fans at Rogers Arena were just settling into their seats after the national anthems when Higgins opened the scoring just 16 seconds into the first. Canucks forward Ryan Kesler shovelled a puck towards the Chicago goal that Higgins sent through Crawfords five-hole for his 15th goal of the season and third in the four games. "Getting scored on the first shift is never a good feeling but we knew that wasnt going to be the difference," said Toews. "We had a great momentum swing in the second scoring four goals like that. It was huge for us." After taking that early punch, the Blackhawks carried the play for much of the rest of the period but couldnt find a way past Luongo or his posts. Blackhawks defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson saw his shot from the point deflect off a stick and hit the crossbar before Hossa also found iron moments later. "Im sure (the teams confidence) is not at an all-time high," said Sullivan. "The greatest thing about confidence is its fleeting. You can get it back just as quick as you lose it. It all starts with a good shift and it grows from there. Weve got to get that snowball going." NOTES: Canucks defenceman Christopher Tanev was added to Vancouvers sick bay prior to the game, missing his first game of the season with an upper-body injury. Also on the shelf at the moment is captain Henrik Sedin, who missed his fourth straight game, while fellow forward Mike Santorelli sat out his sixth straight contest. ... Before the game, a banner honouring both the mens and womens hockey gold medals at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver was unveiled in the rafters at Rogers Arena. Hall of Fame defenceman Scott Niedermayer -- who captained Canadas gold-winning mens team in 2010 -- and former womens national team member Tessa Bonhomme, who also won gold four years ago, performed the ceremonial faceoff before the game. ... The Canucks five-game road trip will take them to Winnipeg, Detroit, Boston, Montreal and Toronto. ... Vancouvers next home game is Feb. 26 against the St. Louis Blues. ... The Blackhawks continue their six-game pre-Olympic road trip on Saturday in San Jose. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap soccer jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china ' ' '
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