Verdict in Oscar Pistorius murder trial expected

PRETORIA, South Africa, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- South African Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa is expected to begin reading her verdict in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial on Thursday.

The trial, which began March 3, has focused on Pistorius' intent when he shot and killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp the night of February 14, 2013 at his Pretoria residence.

The defense maintained he accidentally shot Steenkamp, mistaking her for an intruder in his bathroom, while the prosecution argued the shooting was premeditated and had been preceded by an argument heard by neighbors.

In the defense's closing arguments last month, chief defense attorney Barry Roux said the charges brought against his client should not have been for murder but instead for culpable homicide.

The judge, helped by two assistants, will decided Pistorius' innocence or guilt.

If found guilty, there are three possible verdicts that carry varying sentences.

Ulrich Roux with Johannesburg-based BDK Attorneys explained to Bloomberg: "One is premeditated murder," which carried a minimum 25-year sentence. "The next one is that he's convicted of murder, which is straight murder," and could land Pistorius in jail for at least 15 years. "The third one is that he's convicted of culpable homicide, which is the negligent unlawful killing of a person," and carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Sentencing would likely be handed down six to 12 weeks after a verdict.