I felt a sense of terror rushing over me
When I read that initially, my immediate thought was, "This guy chose his words carefully; he's trying to establish the basis for an insanity or "diminished capacity" defense. Probably based on the idea that he would have a greater "sense of terror" and paranoia than the usual person; maybe based on his physical disability, (an argument that would be much more persuasive were Mr. Pistorius not a professional sprinter) or possibly as a result of "roid rage" or some other chemical-based explanation"
I still think that's the case....
That having been said, charging him with
premeditated murder in this case, from a commonsense standpoint, seems a bit of stretch...
I understand that (under US law anyway) "premeditation" can be formed even within a few seconds, but from the way most folks interpret "premeditation" it wouldn't fit...
When most people think of " premeditation" they think of something that was planned out somewhat in advance of the crime....
No one would plan to kill their significant other in their home, try to claim it was an accident, and come up with
this scenario
in advance and expect the explanation to fly...
As cunning plans go, this one left a lot to be desired....
Of course "premeditated" doesn't necessarily mean "smart"....
