South African police on Thursday appointed a new chief investigator to the case of Oscar Pistorius, the Olympian charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, after it became known that the former chief investigator was charged with seven counts of attempted murder, the Associated Press reports.
In a news conference at a training academy, National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega said a senior detective would gather a team of “highly skilled and experienced” officers to investigate the killing of 29-year-old Steenkamp, a model and budding reality TV contestant.
The decision to put police Lt. Gen. Vinesh Moonoo in charge came soon after word emerged that the initial chief investigator, Hilton Botha, is facing attempted murder charges, and a day after he offered testimony damaging to the prosecution.
