Pistorius' Psych Eval: 7 Hours a Day, 30 Days

Docs look to determine whether he had anxiety disorder
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 20, 2014 7:10 AM CDT
Pistorius' Psych Eval: 7 Hours a Day, 30 Days
Oscar Pistorius checks his mobile phone in court in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, May 20, 2014.   (AP Photo/Deean Vivier, Pool)

It's confirmed: Following a judge's order, Oscar Pistorius will undergo 30 days of daily psychiatric assessment, pausing his trial until June 30. An expert team will seek to determine the athlete's condition when he killed Reeva Steenkamp, NBC News reports. Pistorius will be an outpatient at a hospital in Pretoria, where he will undergo evaluations each weekday between 9am and 4pm, ABC News reports.

The panel—which includes two state-appointed experts and one for the defense—will decide whether Pistorius has generalized anxiety disorder and if it played a role in Steenkamp's death, the BBC reports. Judge Thokozile Masipa said the assessment, which begins Monday, should determine whether Pistorius is "criminally responsible for the offenses charged" and "whether he was capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act," the Sydney Morning Herald notes. (More Oscar Pistorius stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X