Will Pistorius Get Bail?

We're due to learn this hour whether South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius will be granted bail as he awaits trial in Pretoria on a charge of premeditated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

As NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton tells our Newscast Desk, "the defense and prosecution have delivered their closing arguments" in a bail hearing that has lasted four days and at times felt like a trial. Pistorius, she notes, says he thought Steenkamp was an intruder and killed her by mistake at his home. The prosecution has offered evidence that it believes shows he knew what he was doing — including a neighbor's account of shouting coming from the house before shots were fired.

There's much more about the case in our previous posts.

The 26-year-old Pistorius, known as the "blade runner" because of the carbon-fiber prosthetic legs he uses, is the first double amputee to have participated in a Summer Olympics and is a Paralympics champion. Steenkamp, 29, was a model and aspiring reality TV star.

We'll update with word about the bail decision when it's announced.

Update at 7:40 a.m. ET. Hearing Resumes; Listen In:

Desmond Nair, the chief magistrate who is presiding over the bail hearing, has come back to the bench. The Guardian is among those live blogging from the court and audio from the courtroom is being streamed here.

South Africa's News 24 says it could take an hour for Nair to deliver his decision. He's beginning with a discussion about whether there should be TV coverage of the trial.

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