Oscar Pistorius not suicidal as he awaits murder trial, family says
Arnold Pistorius, the uncle of South African Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius answers journalists’ questions in the courthouse in Pretoria, on February 22, 2013, after Oscar Pistorius was freed on bail by a magistrate, pending a high-profile trial for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The family of Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic sprint champion facing charges of murdering his girlfriend, says that despite reports he is "certainly not suicidal."
According to Agence France-Presse, his uncle Arnold Pistorius said:
"Oscar, broken as he currently is, believes he has a purpose in life and is working towards that. Media reports to the contrary are untrue."
Pistorius, 26, had been said by a friend to be "on the verge of suicide" after shooting dead Reeva Steenkamp at his Pretoria home.
More from GlobalPost: Oscar Pistorius is 'on the verge of suicide' as he awaits murder trial, friend says
Pistorius has denied a charge of premeditated murder.
The double amputee's close friend Mike Azzie, said in an interview for an upcoming BBC documentary about Pistorius, that he was "a broken man" since the Valentine's Day shooting.
His state of mind had worsened since he was forced to sell his racehorses to raise money to pay for legal costs, Azzie said, AFP added.
Pistorius was to appear in court next on June 4, according to ESPN.
The BBC quoted more of the statement from Arnold Pistorius, in which he said:
"Of course Oscar will never be the same, having to live with the knowledge that he caused the death of the woman he loved, but he is coping as best he can with the support of his loved ones. As a family, we remain confident that this will prove to have been a terrible and tragic accident, which has changed many lives forever."