Summary Pistorius and his slain girlfriend's family are discussing an out-of-court financial settlement.
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Legal teams for South African paralympic star Oscar Pistorius and his slain girlfriend s family are discussing an out-of-court financial settlement over her murder, a lawyer said Thursday.
"Negotiations are under way," lawyer Dup de Bruyn, who is representing the relatives of the murdered Reeva Steenkamp, told AFP.
The compensation talks do not affect Pistorius s murder trial, which is set to start on March 3.
De Bruyn declined to give any details but local media report the 26-year-old athlete may pay as much as $272,000 (200,000 euros) after shooting dead his lover last Valentine s Day.
The 29-year-old model and law graduate was supporting her parents financially and they have been struggling since her death.
Pistorius denies murder, saying he shot his girlfriend through a locked bathroom door in his upmarket Pretoria home because he thought she was an intruder.
Lawyers reportedly have been talking for months about a possible settlement which could preempt a civil damages case by the Steenkamps, in a legal move that would be separate from the murder trial.
Pistorius faces charges of murdering Steenkamp as well as discharging a firearm on two separate occasions before her death.
The shooting death shocked the world and brought the sprinter s career to an abrupt halt.
