1 / 24 Gallery: Oscar Pistorius Learns His Fate Double-amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius is emotional in court as the judge reads the reasoning behind her verdict over the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp 
 
 South Africa has no jury system so Judge Masipa is deciding on the verdicts herself with the help of two assessors. Play video "Pistorius: Not Premeditated Murder" Video: Pistorius: Not Premeditated Murder 
 
 The 27-year-old, his head down and shoulders shaking, was visibly distressed and sobbed in court as the judge recounted the events of Valentine's Day last year. He... (Associated Press) 
 
 Barry Steenkamp, father of Reeva Steenkamp, arrives for the Oscar Pistorius murder trial at the high court in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014. He did not intend to kill her, Judge Thokozile Masipa said. The judge in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial on Thursday read the reasoning behind her upcoming... (Associated Press) 
 
 Judge Thokozile Masipa said prosecutors have not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Pistorius, 27, is guilty of premeditated murder. Judge Thokozile Masipa told the court there was "no doubt" when Pistorius fired his gun "he acted unlawfully", and will rule on Friday whether he is guilty of the lesser charge - known as culpable homicide in South Africa - over the 29-year-old model's death. But his conduct was "negligent," she said before adjourning for the day, suggesting she will find the Olympian guilty of culpable homicide. At the end of Thursday's hearing she found the track star acted "negligently", "too hastily", used "excessive force" and failed to take steps to avoid the resultant death. Masipa said there were "just not enough facts" to support the finding of premeditated murder in Steenkamp's fatal shooting. Proceedings kicked off with the judge outlining the facts of the case before the testimonies of each of the 37 witnesses who gave evidence at the six-month-long murder trial. The process 
 
 Casting doubt on witness accounts of hearing a woman's screams, Masipa said "none of the witnesses had ever heard the accused cry or scream, let alone when he was anxious," apparently acknowledging the possibility that the defense argument that Pistorius had been screaming in a high-pitched voice after discovering he had fatally shot Steenkamp. Evidence suggests that Pistorius genuinely believed the person in the bathroom was an intruder, although that is irrelevant to the case, the judge said. "Normal relationships are dynamic and unpredictable most of the time, while human beings are fickle," she said. Pistorius has said he mistakenly shot Steenkamp through the closed door of a toilet cubicle, thinking there was an intruder in his home and pleaded not guilty to murder. Masipa also cited testimony of an acoustics expert called by the defense, saying it cast "serious doubt" on whether witnesses who were hundreds of meters (yards) away in their homes — as some state witnesses were — could have differentiated between the screams of a man or a woman. Earlier, Masipa began by outlining in detail the four charges against the Olympic runner: Murder, two counts of unlawfully firing a gun in a public place in unrelated incidents and one count of illegal possession of ammunition. Before the session began, Pistorius hugged his brother Carl, who was seated in a wheelchair because of injuries suffered in a recent car crash. Ms Steenkamp's parents - June and Barry Steenkamp - looked on and listened intently to Judge Masipa from a packed public gallery. If Pistorius is convicted on any charge, the case will likely be postponed until a later sentencing hearing.
– The judge in Oscar Pistorius' trial will not find him guilty of murder, but he could still be found guilty of lesser charges, including culpable homicide—the equivalent of manslaughter. As CNN puts it, "Under South African law, Pistorius will not be found guilty of 'murder.'" According to the AP: "The judge ... appeared to be heading for a culpable homicide finding." Judge Thokozile Masipa said the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Pistorius is guilty of premeditated murder, then later said she also found that he is not guilty of intentionally killing Reeva Steenkamp, and finally said she did find him "negligent," which, as the AP notes, strengthens the possibility of a culpable homicide conviction. She then adjourned the trial until tomorrow. Masipa found that Pistorius could not have known the person he was shooting at behind the bathroom door would die, and she also said the evidence suggests he truly believed Steenkamp was still in the bedroom at the time and he was shooting at an intruder. She seemed to accept the defense's version of the timeline: First came the shots, then screaming that she said she believed was coming from Pistorius, not Steenkamp. If Pistorius is found guilty of culpable homicide, the judge can decide on sentence length; there is no minimum. He also faces three weapons charges, and Sky News reports that Masipa did say there is "no doubt" he "acted unlawfully" when firing.