Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial: Court Sketch Artist Says Prosecutor Gerrie Nel ‘Feels Sorry’ For The Convicted Athlete

Court sketch artist Jaco van Vuuren witnessed the entire Oscar Pistorius murder trial. He was also tasked with the documentation of his own friend's downfall.

The former pole vaulter had known the Blade Runner since he was 16 but that didn't stop him from detailing the entire proceedings of the fallen hero's case through his drawing tools.

As the court's sketch artist, he was able to see all the intimate details of the trial but he reportedly refused to draw Pistorius vomiting while viewing evidence from the night of the shooting.

"Never," he told The Guardian when asked about sketching the incident. "I said this is where I draw the line. Use your discretion and integrity."

He wasn't the only one who felt pity for the Olympic runner. According to Van Vuuren, even the prosecutor for Oscar Pistorius' murder trial, Gerrie Nel, also expressed his empathy for the convicted athlete.

"I bumped accidentally into Gerrie Nel a couple of days ago in Exclusive Books [a retail chain]," Van Vuuren shared. "He's quite upbeat about the case, although he actually feels sorry for Oscar."

He added, "Even Gerrie Nel said it can't be easy for the guy in jail. So he's got a heart, but this is the law."

As for how Pistorius is doing in prison right now, Van Vuuren said the South African athlete is taking it "day by day" and calls him "a bigger survivor than all of us together" based on everything he went through and is still going through in life. He also wants to take up sketching in prison.

Van Vuuren added, "I'll tell you one thing, Oscar will give anything in his power to change that day, go back and not do it. One day in jail is 10 years too many."

Oscar Pistorius' murder trial will resume sometime in early 2015 after the prosecution received the go signal from Judge Thozokile Masipa to file an appeal.