A week before her death, South African model Reeva Steenkamp talked about her secure, blissful environment.
"I woke up in a happy, safe home this morning," she tweeted . "Not everyone did."
Four days after she posted that message, neither did she.
The 29-year-old model was found shot to death in her boyfriend's house in an upscale neighborhood in Pretoria.
Her boyfriend, Olympian Oscar Pistorius, is facing a murder charge in the Valentine's Day shooting. Prosecutors plan to upgrade it to premeditated murder.
Pistorius, 26, rejected the murder allegation "in the strongest terms," his agent said in a statement. The track star also canceled all future races so he could focus on the legal proceedings, his management company said Sunday.
Beauty and brains
Before she started dating the man nicknamed "Blade Runner" for his lightning-fast prosthetic legs, Steenkamp was famous in her own right.
A striking, platinum-haired model, gearing up for her reality television debut.
A law school graduate, with a vibrant personality and a slew of modeling gigs under her belt.
Her growing exposure brought more opportunities. She served as a presenter for FashionTV in South Africa, was an FHM cover girl and was the face of cosmetics company Avon.
FHM described her as a "beautiful, intelligent and warm-hearted woman" who had a "wicked" sense of humor.
"She was the kindest, sweetest human being; an angel on earth," said Capacity Relations, the agency that represented her.
And her fame was growing.
Two days after she was killed, a pre-recorded reality show in which she appeared as a contestant aired. In the context of what transpired, her message in it now appears haunting.
"I'm going home with sort of a sweet taste in my mouth. I don't have any regrets. I don't have any bitterness. I'm going to miss you all so much and I love you very very much," she said as she blew a kiss to the camera.
South Africa's national broadcaster aired the show "Tropika Island of Treasure" showing a clip discussing her exit from the taped program. The show features local celebrities competing for prize money.
Power couple
Steenkamp was born in Capetown, but moved to Johannesburg years ago to pursue modeling.
Reports say the two became an item around November and were popular in South African social circles.
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