- NEW: Oscar Pistorius says he was "besotted" with girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
- NEW: He explains background to text in which she said "I'm scared of you sometimes"
- Pistorius defense teams will call 14 to 17 witnesses, lawyer Barry Roux says
- Pistorius says he thought Steenkamp was an intruder and shot in self-defense
Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Oscar Pistorius told the court at his trial Tuesday that he was "more into" the girlfriend he's accused of murdering, Reeva Steenkamp, than she was into him.
In his second day of testimony the double-amputee runner known as the Blade Runner is expected to delve deeper into his relationship with the girlfriend he shot dead more than a year ago -- and explain what happened the night she died.
"If anything I was more into her at times than she was with me ... I was besotted with her," he told the court in Pretoria, South Africa.
Pistorius has cried, covered his face and plugged his ears, and thrown up repeatedly as earlier witnesses have talked about how Steenkamp suffered, so the moment when Pistorius is forced to discuss the killing himself could be dramatic.
Steenkamp's mother, June, was again present in court Tuesday to hear his testimony.
The couple met on November 4, 2012, Pistorius said, a little more than three months before she died.
Defense lawyer Barry Roux took Pistorius through some of the texts and chat messages exchanged between the couple, including ones in which Steenkamp voiced unhappiness about his actions.
Some of the messages formed part of the prosecution case heard last month.
In one lengthy WhatsApp message previously cited in court, Steenkamp said,"I'm scared of you sometimes and how u snap at me and of how you will react to me."
Pistorius sought to explain the background to the message Tuesday, saying it was sent on the day of their friend Darren Fresco's engagement party.
"It was a bad day in our relationship," he said. "I think I was just being sensitive, maybe I felt a bit insecure or jealous ... I wasn't kind to her like I should have been."
Pistorius: 'She felt loved'
When he first took the stand Monday, Pistorius began with an emotional apology to Steenkamp's family, saying he woke up thinking of them and praying for them every day.
"I can't imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that I have caused you and your family. ... I can promise you that when she went to bed that night, she felt loved," he said, his voice breaking as if he was fighting back tears.
Pistorius, who says he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder in his house in the dark, testified that he has been suffering nightmares since the killing and wakes up smelling blood.
He told the Pretoria court that he is afraid to sleep, and "if I hear noise, I wake up just in a complete state of terror." He said he is on medication, including an antidepressant and sleeping pills.
It was the first time he has spoken in public about Steenkamp's death, which he says was an accident. He pleaded not guilty to murder when the high-profile trial opened last month.
Oscar Pistorius is hugged by his aunt Lois Pistorius in court in Pretoria, South Africa, on Monday, April 7. Pistorius, the first double amputee runner to compete in the Olympics, is accused of intentionally killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February 2013. Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to murder and three weapons charges. 
Pistorius sits inside the courtroom as members of his defense team talk in the foreground Friday, March 28. 
Pistorius leaves court on March 28. The trial was delayed until April 7 because one of the legal experts who will assist the judge in reaching a verdict was sick. 
Steenkamp's mother, June, right, and family friend Jenny Strydom react in court Tuesday, March 25, during cross-questioning. 
Cell phone analyst Francois Moller testifies during the trial on March 25. Questioned by the prosecution, Moller listed in order the calls made and received by Pistorius after he shot Steenkamp. 
Pistorius cries as he sits in the dock during his trial on Monday, March 24. 
Pistorius talks to to his defense attorney Barry Roux on March 24. 
Pistorius holds his head while members of his family talk behind him on Tuesday, March 18. 
Steenkamp's mother, wearing the white collared shirt, looks on while a police officer takes notes in court March 18. 
Pistorius is hugged by his aunt Lois on March 18. 
Pistorius takes notes Monday, March 17, as his murder trial enters its third week. 
Pistorius covers his head as he listens to forensic evidence Thursday, March 13. 
Forensic investigator Johannes Vermeulen, left, is questioned during the trial March 13. 
Pistorius listens to questions during his trial on Wednesday, March 12. 
A police officer takes part in a court reconstruction March 12. A police forensic expert said Pistorius was on the stumps of his amputated legs when he knocked down a locked toilet door with a cricket bat to reach his shot girlfriend. That counters the track star's assertion he was wearing his prosthetic legs at the time. Defense attorney Barry Roux countered by suggesting that even with his prosthetic legs on, Pistorius would not be swinging a bat at the same height as an able-bodied person. 
Pistorius listens to cross-questioning on Monday, March 10. 
Friends of Steenkamp's family watch Pistorius during his trial on March 7. 
Pistorius covers his ears on Thursday, March 6, as a witness speaks about the morning Steenkamp was killed. 
Pistorius' sister, Aimee, right, speaks with members of Steenkamp's family on March 6. 
Pistorius sits in court on the third day of his trial Wednesday, March 5. 
Pistorius appears on the second day of his trial Tuesday, March 4. 
Members of the media work during a break in proceedings March 4. 
Pistorius talks with Roux inside the court on March 4. 
Pistorius speaks with his legal representatives on March 4. 
Pistorius is escorted out of the court Monday, March 3, after the first day of his murder trial. 
People try to get a glimpse of Pistorius as he leaves the court building on March 3. 
Pistorius is seen shortly after arriving for his trial on March 3. 
Pistorius walks into the courtroom on March 3. 
Pistorius takes a drink of water March 3 during his trial. 
The case has captivated South Africa. Here, Lauren Wentzel watches the proceedings from her home outside Cape Town on March 3. 
June Steenkamp arrives at the court building for the start of the trial. 
Pistorius' relatives wait inside the courtroom on March 3. 
People at the court building wait for Pistorius' arrival on March 3. Photos: Oscar Pistorius murder trial
Pistorius to Steenkamp's mom: I'm sorry
Oscar Pistorius trial: Murder or mistake?
Steenkamp texts to Pistorius read in court
Pistorius witness: I heard screamingJune Steenkamp sat stony-faced as South Africa's onetime Olympic golden boy choked out his statement.
Judge Thokozile Masipa also betrayed no emotion as Pistorius spoke but did once ask him to talk louder, saying she could hardly hear him.
After his apology, Pistorius talked through his childhood, including his mother's encouraging him to play sports despite his double amputation.
He described his mother's surprise death when he was 15, his charity work and religious faith, and the times his family had been victims of crime.
But he did not talk about Valentine's Day last year, when, he admits, he shot Steenkamp three times. He's thought likely to do that Tuesday.
Childhood remembered
Pistorius, 27, is accused of intentionally murdering Steenkamp, 29.
Monday was the first day of the defense phase of the trial, following three weeks of prosecution in March.
The defense team will call 14 to 17 witnesses, Roux said as he opened his case.
The prosecution rested its case on March 25 after 15 days and 21 witnesses.
Oscar Pistorius on trial: Explore each side's case
Pistorius took the stand late Monday morning after pathologist Jan Botha finished testimony about when Steenkamp last ate and the wounds she suffered.
Roux spent much of the day trying to build up a picture of Pistorius as a dedicated athlete, responsible person and devoted Christian who was "bowled over" by his love for Steenkamp.
Pistorius was also prompted to talk about his awareness of crime, including having come to the aid of victims of crime.
Talking about his childhood, Pistorius said his mother kept a firearm in a padded bag under her pillow. His father was often not around, and Pistorius said his mother would sometimes wake her children up, thinking they were being burgled.
He said she was very supportive of him and "never made me feel any different from the rest of the kids."
"Everything I learned in life, I learned from her," he said.
He spoke about her death when he was 15 and attending boarding school. He did not know she was sick until he got a call asking him to come visit her at a hospital, he said.
Later, he got a call from doctors telling him to come immediately and arrived when she was on her deathbed. She died 10 minutes after he arrived, Pistorius testified.
She had encouraged him to be a normal child and participate in sports despite his disability, he said.
Roux took him through his athletic triumphs, including his success as a Paralympic sprinter, but also highlighted times he felt vulnerable or afraid.
He was badly injured in a boating accident in 2009, he said, which left him "a lot more vigilant about losing my life ... more fearful."
And he said he cannot stand still without his prosthetics on.
"I don't have balance on my stumps," he said. "I can't stand still on my stumps."
That could be a key to his defense. He says he fired his gun because he would have been unable to defend himself or run away when he heard what he thought was a burglar.
Roux asked for court to adjourn for the day about 20 minutes early after Pistorius testified that he did not sleep the previous night.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel seemed to be on the verge of objecting when Masipa intervened, saying, "He does look exhausted."
Trial to last until mid-May
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.
The trial, which began on March 3, is scheduled to continue until the middle of May.
Pistorius first achieved global fame as an outstanding double-amputee sprinter who ran with special prostheses that earned him the nickname "Blade Runner."
Masipa will decide the verdict in collaboration with two experts 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 in prison. 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 isn'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.
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CNN's Richard Allen Greene reported and wrote from London; Nicola Goulding reported from Pretoria, South Africa, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London. CNN's Emily Smith and Marie-Louise Gumuchian and legal analyst Kelly Phelps contributed to this report.
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