For six months, Reeva Steenkamp‘s mother, June, sat through graphic evidence of her daughter’s final moments almost on a daily basis during the murder trial of the man who killed her daughter.
On Friday, Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide, which is similar to manslaughter, by a judge in Pretoria, South Africa. Members of Reeva Steenkamp’s family, including Reeva’s parents, were in court to hear the verdict in the 29-year-old model’s killing.
READ MORE: Oscar Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide, granted bail
“We feel bad that we couldn’t protect her,” said June in an interview. “From the day she was born we protected her, but this we could not protect her from.”
A close friend of Steenkamp’s cried in court during the verdict.
Pistorius fatally shot Steenkamp in his home in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14, 2013. He said he mistook her for an intruder, while the prosecution said he killed her intentionally after an argument.
‘I’ve forgiven him’
In a recent interview, June said she feels Reeva’s presence and “talks to her all the time.”
“She’ll only rest in peace when this is over,” said June to HELLO! Magazine. “I trust that God will prevail and justice will be done. All we want is the truth.”
Reeva’s mother also said that she forgave her daughter’s killer.
“I don’t hate Oscar,” she said, “I’ve forgiven him. I have to – that’s my religion. But I am determined to face him and re-claim my daughter. It’s important for him to know that I’m there, that Reeva’s mother who gave birth to her and loved her, is there for her.”
Judge Thokozile Masipa said Thursday there was not enough evidence to support the contention that Pistorius knew Steenkamp was behind a locked toilet door in his home when he shot through the door. Masipa said prosecutors had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Pistorius intended to kill Steenkamp.
The double-amputee athlete has been granted bail and will return to court on Oct. 13 for sentencing.
Shortly after Friday’s verdict was revealed, the lawyer for Steenkamp’s family said the family had “no comment” at the moment.
Around the first anniversary of his daughter’s death, Reeva’s father Barry suffered a stroke. Doctors reportedly warned Barry that his condition could worsen if he attended court. Instead, Reeva’s father stayed at home and reportedly watched the 24-hour news channel that was set up to cover the trial daily.
But on Friday, he appeared in court to hear the verdict for the man who killed his daughter.
In local television documentary that aired earlier this year, the Steenkamps said they learned about their daughter’s death via an early morning phone call from police.
“Do you have a daughter?” June said she recalls the police officer asking. “I said yes, and he said ‘There’s been an accident and she’s been shot.’”
June asked whether her daughter was “alive or dead” and said the officer on the phone replied: “I don’t want you to have to go and read it in the paper but she’s dead.”
In May, June told ITV News that she wished she was there to protect her daughter.
“She must have been so afraid in the toilet, and somebody’s firing bullets through the door,” she said. “That’s my child that I gave birth to that was screaming, that was injured and dying.”
‘The kindest angel on earth’
Family and friends say they will remember Reeva, a model and law graduate, as an “amazing person.”
“Reeva was the kindest, sweetest angel on earth,” said her former publicist Simphiwe Majola.
In a statement shortly after her death, Reeva’s parents said that, “Reeva, who held such a passion for women’s abuse issues and frequently spoke out against domestic violence, intended to one day open an establishment where abused women would be cared for.”
In an interview with the Telegraph, South African photographer Nick Boulton said Reeva was not like most models.
“She was not your typical model in any way. She was incredibly humble about her beauty,” he said. “She was a successful and very smart girl – outside of her modelling. She wasn’t a prima donna. I work with lots of models and Reeva was different. It would get to the point sometimes where I would almost question why she was doing it.
“She was definitely going to go on and do much bigger things – and not just modelling. Her career was in its infancy.”
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