Sitting thousands of miles away and only knowing about a case from I see on TV, I’m in no position to judge whether Oscar Pistorius is guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

But oh man, it is tough listening to him testify in his own defense.

Pistorius, for those who’ve just landed from Mars, is the South African double amputee sprinter who competed in the 2012 London Olympics. He didn’t medal, but he won over a lot of hearts by competing with speedy men with two healthy legs. He earned the nickname “Blade Runner” because he runs on medal prostheses shaped like blades.

Then came the incident in which is girlfriend, a gorgeous model, was shot to death in the apartment the two of them shared. Pistorius said he thought Steenkamp was an intruder and shot through a bathroom door thinking he was taking out a criminal. He opened the door, he said, and discovered Reeva lying there dead.

Prosecutors say the couple had a huge argument and Pistorius ended it by shooting Steenkamp to death in a fit of rage.

The courtroom testimony has been riveting at times. The most dramatic of it has come from Pistorius himself. He has sobbed loudly while telling the court he loved the girl he shot. South African trial law allows defendants to be kept off camera while they’re testifying. Pistorius has not been shown sobbing. However, the camera shows family members sitting there, wiping tears away and embracing each other. It also shows Steenkamp’s family and you wonder what is going through their minds.

Perhaps the most interesting analysis has come from ESPN, which has noted that the prosecutor — who has been relentless in his questioning of Pistorius — runs the risk of turning him into a sympathetic character.

The sound of his crying on the stand has gotten to this long-distance observer, yours truly.

Then again, I’m a softie.

This is tough to watch, but I can’t turn away.