CBS/AP/ February 14, 2013, 8:03 AM

Reeva Steenkamp, Oscar Pistorius' model girlfriend, was law school graduate, entrepreneur

Reeva Steenkamp is seen during a photoshoot in this undated portfolio picture supplied by Ice Model Management in Johannesburg.

Reeva Steenkamp is seen during a photoshoot in this undated portfolio picture supplied by Ice Model Management in Johannesburg. / AP Photo/Ice Model Management

Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET

JOHANNESBURG The leggy blonde model tweeted that Valentine's Day should be "a day of love for everyone."

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Oscar Pistorius accused of killing girlfriend

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Oscar Pistorius escorted at Boschkop police station

Instead Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead in the home of her boyfriend, paralympian superstar Oscar Pistorius, who was charged with her murder.

Steenkamp, a South African model with a law degree, campaigned against rape and violence against women. Thursday morning, Steenkamp was to give an inspirational talk at a Johannesburg school. The next day she was going to wear black to protest the brutal rape and mutilation of a 17-year-old.

But the glamorous South African celebrity was found dead in the early hours from four bullet wounds in the Pretoria home of Pistorius. The two had been dating for only a few months.

She was one of FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World for the past two years, appeared in international and South African advertisements and was to make her debut next week as a celebrity contestant on the reality TV show "Tropika Island of Treasure" filmed in Jamaica. Police said the model was 30.

According to her profile on the show's site, Steenkamp was born in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Oscar Pistorius' model girlfriend

In 2006, she was named by cosmetics company Avon Products Inc. as one of four "Faces of Avon" after winning a contest, according to Avon spokeswoman Jennifer Dwyer Vargas. All four women were featured in Avon brochures in South Africa that year.

Steenkamp's biography on the website of talent management firm Capacity Relations says the model graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

"She had a fantastic character and we all were very fond of her," said Hilda Fisher, secretary to the dean of law.

The freckled blonde who appeared in scanty bikinis on magazine covers and sashayed down fashion ramps was "continuously breaking the model stereotype," said her publicist Sarit Tomlinson.

Steenkamp was "the sweetest, kindest, just angelic soul" and at the same time "a very inspiring individual, very passionate about speaking about women and empowerment."

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Oscar Pistorius

Police said she was shot by four bullets in the early hours of Valentine's Day. They said only Steenkamp and Pistorius were at his house in a gated complex in Pretoria, the capital. Police have arrested Pistorius on a charge of murder and said he will appear in court Friday.

Scores of tributes were posted online. Fellow model Mashadi Motsogi tweeted:

Thursday morning, Steenkamp had been scheduled to give a motivational speech to school students in Johannesburg. "It was about empowerment and inspiration and what inspires you and how to follow your dreams," said Tomlinson, who had Steenkamp's notes for the speech.

On Twitter, Steenkamp tweeted messages urging women to stand up against rape as well as her excitement about Valentine's Day.

Her last tweet was an enthusiastic acceptance of a friend's invite to celebrate the day with chocolate cupcakes topped with red hearts.

She also used her Twitter account to encourage her thousands of followers to fight sexual abuse, re-tweeting this post just hours before she died:

Steenkamp urged followers to stand up against violence against women, tweeting four days ago as South Africa was outraged by the particularly brutal rape and murder of a 17-year-old:

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SandraDoria says:
STUMPY...I meant Stumpy. Go to prison...life without parole..let him be someones freak girlfriend in the big house. She didn't desearve such a loser or to die at his freaky hands either.
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SandraDoria says:
Stop the bleeding hearts! Ths S.O.B. had plent of mental problems. No legs? Well duh George. How screwed up about this do you tink he was??? DUH How would any of you men be? You have a beautiful woman (lord knows how)Youare jealous as heck. How woud you feel looking in the mirror and have only a torso with 2 arms sticking out? Damn straight the freak killed her! He had to be jealous,possesive and horribly insecure. My only question is this. What the heck was she thinking? ICK. Now this poor eautiful girl is dead. Why? Because 'sumpy' had a mental problem about being limbless! I say take those two blades of his stuff them wher the sun doesn't shine and then straight to prion. Can I say LWOP? Geez,they shoot horses don't they?
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nosnobs says:
She doesn't sound worried or troubled on her tweets. I think he thought it was an intruder!
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foo8259 says:
Time to look for the real killer?
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sharong59 says:
Sounds like she had some violence of her own to deal with that ended badly! Such a tragedy . . for a beautiful and intelligent woman. In view of the fact that neighbors heard altercations between her and Oscar, I do not believe he accidentally shot her thinking it was a home invader. Such a shame on his part too that he threw his whole career away in a moment of anger!
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brasileira2 says:
She dedicated her time to make a difference in the lives of girls/women by fighting against violence toward women. What a shame that she was killed in such violent way in the hands of the one who was supposed to love her.

How sad... the world lost a good soul and a productive human being.
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outback_jackson says:
"The woman shot dead in double-amputee Olympian runner Oscar Pistorius' house was a model, a law school graduate and an entrepreneur committed to empowering women."



What an absolute shame this accomplished and beautiful woman was killed.
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