South Africa's Oscar Pistorius is facing fierce questioning about his version of events on the night he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel began his cross examination by pushing Mr Pistorius to acknowledge the full magnitude of his actions on 14 February 2013.
The athlete said he made a "mistake" when he shot Ms Steenkamp in his home.
"You killed a person, that's what you did! You shot and killed her, won't you take responsibility...?" Mr Nel said.
A graphic picture of Ms Steenkamp's head was shown to the court for the first time, prompting anguish from Mr Pistorius and a further adjournment of proceedings.
Oscar Pistorius told prosecutor Gerrie Nel that he "made a terrible mistake"
Pistorius: "I will not look at a picture where I am tormented by what I saw"
The athlete denies deliberately shooting dead his girlfriend, arguing he mistook her for an intruder.
Prosecutors contend he intentionally killed her in the toilet of his bathroom after a row.
The 27-year-old Olympic and Paralympic sprinter, who is a double amputee, faces life imprisonment if convicted of murder.
If acquitted, South African law stipulates that the court must consider the separate, lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, for which he could receive between six and 15 years in prison.
Mr Pistorius also faces charges of illegally firing a gun in public and of illegally possessing ammunition, both of which he denies.
There are no juries at trials in South Africa, and his fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors.
The BBC's Andrew Harding in court in Pretoria says in the opening moments of cross examination showed the highly combative style Mr Pistorius can now expect from Mr Nel in the coming days.
Gerrie Nel: Fierce prosecutor
Gerrie Nel is known for his no-nonsense attitude inside the courtroom and is one of South Africa's most respected legal minds.
With more than 30 years' experience he has a string of successful prosecutions under his belt and is no stranger to high-profile cases. He prosecuted former police boss and Interpol's ex-head Jackie Selebi on corruption charges, once calling him an "arrogant liar" during cross examination.
Those who know him praise his meticulous attention to detail and his "fearlessness". He was junior prosecutor in the murder case of anti-apartheid activist Chris Hani in 1993.
He was also the founding head in 1999 of the Gauteng province division of South Africa's elite police and prosecution unit the Hawks, then known as the Scorpions.
Oscar Pistorius trial: Key players
After the opening exchanges, Mr Nel asked Mr Pistorius whether he knew about a "zombie stopper". Mr Pistorius said he did not, but - following legal arguments - Mr Nel showed video footage of the athlete at a gun range where he is heard saying the word after shooting a watermelon.
Mr Nel then said the watermelon exploded in the same way as Ms Steenkamp's head - and showed a graphic picture of Ms Steenkamp's head after the shooting.
He asked Mr Pistorius to look at it and take responsibility for his actions.
"I've taken responsibility… but I will not look at a picture where I am tormented by what I saw and felt that night. As I picked Reeva up my fingers touched her head, I remember, I don't have to look at a picture I was there," he said sobbing.
It is the first time a graphic photo of Ms Steenkamp was shown been deliberately shown in court.
Mr Pistorius said that during their three-month relationship he and Ms Steenkamp had become very close
There is huge media interest in the trial
Reeva Steenkamp's mother June was comforted by a relative when a graphic photo of her daughter was shown
Aimee Pistorius became emotional as s she listened to her brother on the stand
During a brief adjournment Ms Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, told journalists she understood why it had to be shown, the BBC's Pumza Fihlani reports from the court.
Earlier while being questioned by his lawyer Barry Roux, Mr Pistorius described the moments after paramedics had arrived at the scene.
"They asked for some space to work so I stood up. Reeva had already died whilst I was holding her before the ambulance arrived. So, I knew there was nothing they could do for her," he said.
Before Mr Roux ended his questioning he asked Mr Pistorius if he had intentionally killed Ms Steenkamp.
"I did not intend to kill Reeva or anybody else for that matter," he replied.
Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, reality TV celebrity and law graduate, was hit by at least three bullets while in the toilet cubicle of Mr Pistorius's home in Pretoria.
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1. Balcony
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Mr Pistorius said in his statement at the start of the trial that he woke in the early hours and walked on his stumps to the balcony, pulled in two fans, closed the sliding door and drew curtains. He said that shortly before he had spoken to Reeva, who was in bed beside him.
He said he rejected prosecution claims that a witness heard arguing coming from the house before the shooting.
2. Bathroom noise
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Mr Pistorius said he heard the bathroom window sliding open and believed that an intruder, or intruders, had entered the bathroom through a window which was not fitted with burglar bars.
"Unbeknown to me, Reeva must have gone to the toilet in the bathroom at the time I brought in the fans," he said.
Mr Pistorius said he approached the bathroom armed with his firearm, to defend himself and his girlfriend, believing Ms Steenkamp was still in bed.
3. Shooting
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Both sides agree four bullets were fired. Ms Steenkamp was hit three times.
Mr Pistorius said he fired his weapon after hearing a noise in the toilet which he thought was the intruder coming out of the toilet to attack him and Ms Steenkamp.
He said he was in a fearful state, knowing he was on his stumps and unable to run away or properly defend himself.
Mr Pistorius said he rejected claims that he was on his prostheses when he shot at the door.
A witness told the trial she woke to hear a woman screaming and a man shouting for help. She said that after the screams she heard four shots.
4. Bedroom
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Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bedroom after shooting at the toilet door, still shouting for Reeva. Lifting himself up onto the bed, he felt over to the right hand side of it and noticed Ms Steenkamp was not there.
Mr Pistorius said this was when he realised she could have been in the toilet.
5. Toilet door
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Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bathroom but the toilet was locked, so he returned to the bedroom, pulled on his prosthetic legs, turned on the lights before bashing in the toilet door with a cricket bat.
Forensics expert Johannes Vermeulen told the court that the height of the marks on the door caused by the cricket bat suggest Mr Pistorius was on his stumps at the time.
6. Emergency calls
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Mr Pistorius's defence team say he then called security at the gated housing complex and a private paramedic service before carrying Ms Steenkamp downstairs.
A security guard claimed it was the other way round, and he had called Mr Pistorius first after reports of gunfire. However, phone records shown to the court revealed Mr Pistorius called the estate manager at 3:19am, a minute later he called the ambulance service and at 3:21am he called estate security.
A minute later he received an incoming call - estate security calling him back.
According to police phone expert Francois Moller, Mr Pistorius called his friend Justin Divaris a short time later and just after 4:00am he called his brother Carl.
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