CBS’ “48 Hours” features coverage of Oscar Pistorius verdict

This Friday’s edition of the CBS news program 48 Hours will feature coverage from when the show was in a South African courtroom this week to cover a judge’s decision on whether Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius (a.k.a. “Blade Runner,” a reference to the leg prostheses he wears as a double amputee) murdered his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, or if her death was an accident. Pistorius was cleared of premeditated murder charges, but was found guilty of “culpable homicide,” similar to a manslaughter conviction in the United States.

The judge’s decision, along with an interview with Oscar Pistorius’ former girlfriend, Samantha Taylor, will be part of the hourlong 48 Hours, subtitled “Blade Runner: The Verdict,” which CBS says will “examine all angles of the case, and feature an inside look at Pistorius’ home where Steenkamp died.” Correspondents Debora Patta, Peter Van Sant and Richard Schlesinger report on what has been called the South African “trial of the century.”

Other interviews will include Pistorius’ closest family friend and father figure, Mike Azzie, along with CBS News animations that bring to life the defense and prosecution cases, and analysis by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Alexander Sasha Bardey. The broadcast also looks at the tendency of some athletes to be violent in their lives off the field, with the release mentioning the NFL’s Ray Rice as an example, so they may be tying him into the special, as well.

48 Hours: Blade Runner: The Verdict airs Sept. 12 at 8pm ET on CBS.