Pretoria, South Africa : The first witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial broke down in tears Tuesday, saying she still remembers the terrified screams of a woman on the night the double-amputee Olympic athlete killed his girlfriend by shooting four times through a toilet door.
Michelle Burger, who lives near Pistorius' home and who had been composed through two days of grueling cross-examination, wept as she finished her testimony.
Earlier the trial was interrupted and the judge ordered an investigation into allegations that a South African television channel was broadcasting a photograph of Burger -- against a court order guaranteeing privacy to witnesses who request it.
Gerrie Nel, the prosecutor, asked Burger about her emotions at the time when she made her statement to police. "It was quite raw," Burger said, her voice breaking.
"When I'm in the shower, I relive her shouts," she said of hearing the woman screaming before the sound of gunshots in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day last year. Burger lives about 177 meters (193 yards) from Pistorius' house.
The world-famous athlete faces a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison before parole if convicted of murder with premeditation.
Judge Thokozile Masipa earlier warned the media to respect a ruling that images of witnesses who request privacy should not be shown.
