oscar pistorius
Oscar Pistorius claims he was thought he was protecting his girlfriend when he fired four shots through the bathroom door. Reuters

Wednesday marked the third day on the witness stand for Oscar Pistorius. After two days of recounting the events of Valentine’s Day 2013, the defense got their chance to question the alleged murderer.

Pistorius does not deny killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in his home on Feb. 14 of last year. He shot the model four times through a bathroom door. According to the Olympic sprinter, he thought Steenkamp was asleep in his bed, and an intruder was breaking into his home.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, known as a "pit bull" in South Africa, did not hold back when asking Pistorius about the night of Steenkamp’s death. He pressed the accused, demanding the double-amputee tell the truth.

"You made a mistake? You shot and killed her. Say it -- 'I shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp,'" Nel told Pistorius.

Nel would later press Pistorius to look at a picture of Steenkamp's head after the shooting.

“Take responsibility for what you’ve done!” he said to Pistorius.

Pistorius claims his story has never changed, and he continues to contend that he thought his home was being invaded. He testified that he heard the bathroom window open, which made him think that an intruder entered his house. There were ladders outside Pistorius’s home, because it was being painted, which could’ve allowed for him to be robbed.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution has tried to prove that Pistorius had an argument with his girlfriend, before firing four shots at her. That idea has been supported by neighbors, who claim they heard screams, before the shots were fired. They’ve painted him as one who won’t hesitate to use a gun, and showed the court a video of the 27-year-old shooting a watermelon at a gun range.

Like he’s done many times in the trial, Pistorius was visibly emotional, during the cross-examination. He sobbed, as Nel presented a picture of Steenkamp, following the shooting.

On Tuesday, the court was forced to adjourn, as Pistorius described shooting and killing his girlfriend. The Olympian began to cry, uncontrollably, when he discussed details of the shooting.

"At that point all I wanted to do was just look inside to see if it was Reeva," Pistorius told the court.

"I sat over Reeva and I cried. I don't know how long I was there for.”

This wasn’t the first time that Pistorius was shaken during court proceedings. When Steenkamp’s autopsy was discussed, earlier in the trial, Pistorius vomited. The prosecution was forced to remove graphic photos of Steenkamp’s dead body from their presentation.