Pretoria , South Africa ( CNN ) -- Reeva Steenkamp told Oscar Pistorius she was afraid of him and his temper less than three weeks before he shot and killed her , the judge in his murder trial was told Monday . `` I 'm scared of you sometimes , of how you snap at me , '' the South African model told Pistorius in a long chat message . `` You have picked on me incessantly , '' she wrote , calling Pistorius `` nasty '' after he apparently accused her of flirting with someone at a party . `` I was not flirting with anyone today and I feel sick that you suggested that , '' she told him via WhatsApp , according to the police officer who downloaded their chats after Pistorius shot and killed her . `` You do everything to throw tantrums , '' she said , concluding the message : `` I 'm certainly very unhappy and sad . '' Police Capt . Francois Moller , who downloaded the messages from Steenkamp 's iPhone , said that 90 % of the chats between the two were normal and loving . But there were several that accused Pistorius of jealousy and possessiveness . Less than a week before he killed her , she wrote him another long message after he apparently lost his temper with her as they left a public event together . She reached the exit before he did , she wrote , adding : `` I did n't think you would criticize me for doing that , especially so loudly that others could hear ... . I regard myself as a lady and I did n't feel like one after we left . '' Pistorius admits that he killed Steenkamp , firing four shots through a closed door in his house in the early hours of February 14 , 2013 . Three hit her , with the last one probably killing her almost instantly , according to the pathologist who performed the autopsy . But Pistorius says he thought she was a nighttime intruder in his pitch-black house and believed he was firing in self-defense . He pleaded not guilty to murder . Read the messages . 'Terrified screaming ' Moller 's testimony came after a neighbor of Pistorius said on the witness stand that she heard `` terrified , terrified screaming '' the morning the Olympian killed his girlfriend . Questioned by prosecutor Gerrie Nel , Anette Stipp said she awoke early the morning of February 14 , 2013 , and heard `` terrified , terrified screaming ... It sounds to me as if there 's a family murder , why else would she scream like that . '' Stipp described hearing a series of three shots , a woman screaming , also a man screaming , and then three more shots before the screaming stopped . Her husband , Dr. Johan Stipp , testified earlier in the trial . The trial was originally scheduled to last until March 20 but will now continue until the middle of May , the South African court hearing the case said Sunday . Trial extended to mid-May . The trial , which entered its fourth week on Monday , will continue until April 4 , then break for a one-week recess before resuming from April 14 until May 16 , the Pretoria court announced in a written statement . It said `` all parties involved '' had agreed to the dates . The trial began March 3 . There has been intense media interest in the case in South Africa and beyond . Pistorius first achieved global fame as an outstanding double amputee sprinter who ran with special prostheses that earned him the nickname `` Blade Runner . '' Judge Thokozile Masipa will decide the verdict with the help of two lay people called assessors . South Africa does not have jury trials . In South Africa , premeditated murder carries a mandatory life sentence with a minimum of 25 years . Pistorius also could get five years for each of two unrelated gun indictments and 15 years for a firearms charge he also faces . If he is n't convicted of premeditated murder , the sprinter could face a lesser charge of culpable homicide , a crime based on negligence . The sentence for culpable homicide is at the judge 's discretion . Almost the entire trial has been televised , though individual witnesses can choose not to be shown on television . CNN 's Ed Payne and CNN legal analyst Kelly Phelps contributed to this report .
NEW : Chat messages show Reeva was afraid of Pistorius sometimes . Prosecutor Gerrie Nel is known for surprises , including hints his case may be nearly over . Score: 6 Pistorius says he thought she was an intruder and shot in self-defense .