Lead Pistorius Investigator Who Faces Attempted Murder Charges Has Been Replaced

NBC Sports

[Update] National Commissioner Riah Phieyega announced Thursday that Botha has indeed been replaced. It is unclear at this time who will take over the investigation.

[Earlier] Yet another major twist dropped in the Oscar Pistorius murder case as it was revealed yesterday that the lead investigator himself is facing seven counts of attempted murder related to an incident that occurred in 2011.

Now, Alex Eliseev is reporting that the investigator will be replaced with an announcement coming soon.

The expectation is that detective Hilton Botha will be replaced by "ace investigator" Mike Van Aardt, who is from another precinct. Eliseev describes Van Aardt as a "behind-the-scenes wizard" who has worked "many high-profile cases."

According to Sky Net News, the charges against Botha were originally dropped in March, 2012 and then reinstated sometime prior to yesterday. However, the prosecution only found out about the charges against Botha yesterday.