Oscar Pistorius has cried in court as his lawyer claimed the runner "lost everything" after shooting dead his girlfriend.
The Paralympian athlete admitted killing Reeva Steenkamp and said he mistook her for an intruder, thinking he and the model were in danger.
Lawyer Barry Roux said since the tragedy, Pistorius had lost his sponsors, lost all his money and had not got enough to pay for legal expenses.
He said he was an icon, in the eyes of South Africans, who had "lost everything" and "has nothing".
Mr Roux said his client sold his last asset - his car - to give money to the Steenkamp family.
The lawyer added he will have to live with "excruciating pain which will never go away" - that he killed his girlfriend.
And he argued the disabled athlete should not be sent to jail but should be put under house arrest and have correctional supervision.
Mr Roux also criticised "wildest speculations" when he was first arrested on suspicion of pre-meditated murder.
He said the claims included how Pistorius allegedly crushed her head with a cricket bat, had roid (steroid) rage, took acting lessons and pretended to have feelings for her.
Mr Roux said his client's actions when he killed her in his bathroom were "dominated by vulnerability and anxiety".
He said the double amputee was a "compromised person" when he opened fire on Ms Steenkamp.
Mr Roux told the court his client "did not consciously act unlawfully", though he admitted the runner had "acted excessively".
Closing statements are being made as the defence and prosecution teams put their final arguments to Judge Thokozile Masipa in Pretoria, South Africa.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that the court should think about what happened to Ms Steenkamp.
Mr Nel said losing a child was the "most devastating thing that can happen to a person".
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Gallery: Reeva Steenkamp's Life In Pictures
Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was born in Cape Town and grew up in Port Elizabeth. She went to a convent school and studied law. She was a keen horse rider until she broke her back.
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She moved to Johannesburg from Cape Town to model for Avon cosmetics. In 2012, Reeva was voted number 45 in the South African FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.
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She featured as a celebrity contestant on BBC Lifestyle show Baking Made Easy in 2012.
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The model was a keen Twitter user, and had more than 34,000 followers. She used the site to promote women's rights and empowerment.
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Her former fashion editor, Barbara Robertson, described the model as being "sweet, and down-to-earth" with the "it factor". She compared her to an "early Kate Moss".
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Reeva Steenkamp on the set of reality TV show Tropika Island of Treasure (Pic: Stimulii)
He also said "we were lucky" to hear in court the voice of the victim's cousin Kim Martin - which he called a voice representing society.
On Thursday, Ms Steenkamp's family told the judge they expected the man who killed her to be sent to jail.
Ms Martin told the court the alternative sentence of community service while under house arrest did not seem to fit the crime.
She said Pistorius needed "to pay for what he'd done".
She said: "My family is not seeking revenge, but to shoot someone behind a door who's unarmed and harmless needs sufficient punishment."
Ms Martin warned that a lenient sentence would send the wrong message out to society.
Pistorius, 27, could face a fine and a suspended jail sentence or up to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.
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