Olympic amputee sprint star Oscar Pistorius is expected to appear in court early on Friday, charged with the Valentine's Day murder of his model girlfriend who was shot four times with a gun registered in his name.
Twenty-six-year-old Pistorius – known globally as "Blade Runner" because of his carbon fibre prostheses – will appear at a magistrate's court in the capital Pretoria.
He is accused of killing blonde cover girl Reeva Steenkamp, who suffered fatal wounds to the head and hand in the shooting in the early hours of Thursday.
The sprinter spent the night in custody after blood-alcohol and other tests delayed his appearance before a magistrate.
Earlier police played down reports that Pistorius had shot his 29-year-old girlfriend after mistaking her for a burglar.
The sprinter became an international celebrity during last year's London Olympics, when he became the first double-amputee to line up on the starting blocks beside able bodied competitors.
He was publicly adored in his native South Africa, though questions had been raised about his colourful private life that was replete with glamorous girlfriends, guns and fast cars.