Oscar Pistorius Defense Wants to See State Witness's Notes

The cross examination of state witness Charl Johnson, a neighbor who heard screams just before Reeva Steenkamp was shot to death by Oscar Pistorius, was put on hold today amid questions about notes the witness had taken after the killing.

The defense for the paralympian known as the Blade Runner asked to see Johnson's computer after he claimed during testimony that he had taken down notes on it. The defense is insinuating that Johnson and his wife Michelle Burger--the first witness in the murder trial--colluded to line up their stories. He will resume testifying under cross-examination tomorrow after defense lawyers have had a chance to review the notes.

Today the state called professional boxer Kenin Lerena to the stand. Lerena, a friend of both Steenkamp and Pistorius, testified about an incident in January last year when he, Pistorius, a mutual friend named Darren Fresco and another runner, Martin Rooney met at a restaurant called Tashas in Melrose Arch in Northern Johannesburg, South Africa.

Lerena told the court Fresco handed Pistorius a firearm under the table with the words 'There's one up,' which he (Lerena) understood to mean there was a round in the chamber.

Lerena says the next minute a shot went off inside the restaurant. The entire restaurant went quiet. He says he's not sure what happened, but his toe was grazed. He described his shocked state of mind as he went to the bathroom to wipe some blood off his toe. 'I had never been in a situation where a gun goes off like that.'

Lerena says Pistorius apologized profusely, saying it was an accident, and asked several times if everyone was ok. He says the Pistorius also begged Fresco to say it was him who fired the shot as he didn't want any negative publicity.

The court heard that this is exactly what Fresco did when the managers of the restaurant came to their table and asked what had happened. The four paid their bill and left.

Lerena says he didn't speak to anyone about the incident until, two days after Steenkamp was killed, he received several calls from foreign journalists asking about it.

Yesterday, Pistorius covered his ears as his attorney challenged the account of the neighbors, at one point arguing that his girlfriend could not have screamed after Pistorius fired a first shot through a bathroom door because that shot likely struck her in the head and caused serious brain damage.

Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux made the claim as he tried to poke holes into the testimony of a witness who said she heard a woman scream after a first shot. That scream was followed by several more shots in quick succession, Pistorius neighbor Michelle Burger had told the court.

Pistorius hung his head frequently during the testimony and at one point put his hands over his ears during Roux's cross examination of Burger.

'We know it was four shots and two things I put to you, the total impact of that shots would not have allowed a scream,' Roux said in challenging Burger. 'In fact a state witness tells us with a head shot she would have dropped down immediately.'

Authorities said that the first show struck Steenkamp in the finger, but Roux cited a state witness saying, 'His statement says when the bullet hit her finger her hand was most likely covering her head and went into her head. After the bullet hit the deceased dropped immediately.'