JOHANNESBURG — Oscar Pistorius will be back in the glare of public scrutiny for the first time in months when he appears at a court hearing ahead of his murder trial Tuesday.

The hearing will  launch the next chapter of the sensational case that transformed the double-amputee Olympian from a smiling inspiration to a sobbing suspect facing a life sentence in prison if convicted of killing his girlfriend.

There have been only two reported sightings of Pistorius since he was granted bail on Feb. 22, just over a week after millions were stunned by the images of him leaving a police station on Valentine's Day.

At the time his head was hooded and bowed, hands thrust deep into his jacket pockets, and guarded by officers, after he was arrested and charged for killing Reeva Steenkamp.