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Thursday in Pretoria, South Africa, Oscar Pistorius was to learn his fate. Instead, he only got part of the story from Judge Masipa. Pistorius will return to Court on Friday to learn whether he will be convicted for killing Reeva Steenkamp. So what happened Thursday? Lets break it down. The Charges The issue being determined at trial was whether Pistorius killed Steenkamp intentionally, or as Pistorius alleged, he killed her by accident believing her to be an intruder. There were three layers of charges for the Judge to consider: premeditated murder, murder and culpable homicide. Judge Masipas job was to start with the most severe charge (premeditated murder), and if the prosecution failed on that one, move on to the next charge. Premeditated Murder Premeditated murder requires intent to murder plus planning the murder. Premeditation is reserved for robust planning and doesnt capture an intent that materialized right before a crime was committed. In order to establish this charge, you need some planning ahead of time. Judge Masipa correctly concluded that Pistorius should not be convicted of premeditated murder. Frankly, there was no chance the prosecution was going to meet with success on this one. While this was a domestic dispute gone terribly wrong, there was no planning element. On to the next charge. Murder Since there was no conviction on premeditated murder, Judge Masipa went on to consider the next charge on her list, namely, murder. To make out murder, the prosecution had to show that Pistorius intended to kill Steenkamp that night. So its like premeditated murder without the planning component. This is where Judge Masipa surprised a lot of people (and got it wrong in my opinion). The totality of the evidence supported intent. However, Judge Masipa did not see it that way and opined that the prosecution failed to establish that Pistorius intended to kill his girlfriend. She went on to conclude that "on the murder charge, the evidence is purely circumstantial." Judge Masipa is correct that the evidence was "purely circumstantial," However, circumstantial evidence gets a bad rap. Convictions in the majority of criminal cases are secured by relying on circumstantial evidence (or evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact). Its unusual to get a confession or other direct evidence. This is why you look to the circumstances. The prosecution led by lawyer Gerry Nel presented strong evidence supporting intent. The prosecution called a number of witnesses, including Michelle Burger, Charl Johnson, Dr. Johan Stipp and Estelle van der Merwe, who testified that the lights were on and they heard arguing and screaming. Stipp recounted that he heard female screams that sounded like a woman "scared out of her mind." Burger described female screams as "petrifying" and added this: "I was sitting in bed and I heard her screams," Burger testified. "She screamed terribly and she yelled for help. I heard the screams again. It was worse. It was more intense. Just after her screams, I heard four shots. Four gun-shots... You could hear it was blood curdling screams. You cant translate it into words. The anxiousness in her voice, and fear. It leaves you cold. She screamed terribly and she yelled for help." This is important evidence because Pistorius alleged all along that the couple never talked after they went to bed at 10pm and the room remained dark. This is just the tip of the Pistorius iceberg. For an in-depth review of the evidence, please click here and here to read my previous articles on Pistorius. I also analyzed Pistorius testimony on my TSN radio show Offside. For that, click here and here to listen to my review of the case. Ultimately, in view of the evidence as a whole, it is exceedingly difficult to agree with her conclusion. Third and final charge: Culpable Homicide After Judge Masipa cleared Pistorius on premeditated murder and murder, she moved on to the third and final charge: culpable homicide. This charge means that Pistorius negligently killed Steenkamp (or that the killing was an accident). In a brief afternoon session, Judge Masipa addressed the test for culpable homicide: what would a reasonable person do in the same circumstances? Judge Masipa found that Pistorius had other options with respect to dealing with the perceived threat. He could have called security for help, which would have taken less time than shooting through the bathroom door four times. As well, when the intruder entered the bathroom, he was actually closer to the balcony and could have used that opportunity to call for help. Judge Masipa then concluded that Pistorius was indeed negligent: "Pistorius had time to think and consider his actions. Im satisfied his actions werent that of a reasonable person. He acted too hastily and used excessive force. His conduct was negligent." Just as Judge Masipa was prepared to announce her decision on culpable homicide (which seemed like a conviction), she adjourned for the day. It was only 2:28pm; there was still time. It was an abrupt end reminiscent of The Sopranos series finale. Friday Judge Masipa will return to court on Friday to reveal her ruling on culpable homicide (as well as the lesser gun charges). Then, and only then, will we know if Pistorius will be convicted. Prison Time and Sentencing Premeditated murder calls for a compulsory life sentence, while murder results in a compulsory sentence of 15 years. But that doesnt matter any longer since these charges have been tossed. On culpable homicide, the legislation does not provide for specific prison time. Rather, the sentencing is discretionary (varies from fines to prison time), although its not unusual to see prison time in South Africa of 5-10 years for this type of crime. Still, given its discretionary nature, it is possible that Pistorius will not face any prison time. As I noted in my @EricOnSportsLaw Twitter account, its possible that Judge Masipa adjourned early to allow the sides to reach a deal. Just an unenthusiastic theory though. Ultimately, this would be a surprise development. If Pistorius is convicted on Friday, he will not be sentenced. That happens later at a sentencing hearing, where both side argue as to the suitable length of Pistorius jail time. Victor Oladipo Jersey . Every once in awhile, it seems like life lets dreams become real - and that is a gift. Cory Joseph Jersey . Seth Smith hit a towering drive for a tying homer leading off the eighth and Chris Denorfia singled home two runs to give the Padres a 3-1 victory against the rival Dodgers in baseballs North American opener Sunday night. http://www.authenticbasketballshoppacers.info/aaron-holiday-pacers-jersey/ . Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris, city natives, handled the catering for teammates that begged them for the tasty postgame feast. Bojan Bogdanovic Jersey . Murakami gracefully executed a double triple toe jump and a triple flip jump that put her at the top of a tightly contested race with 64.73 points, just ahead of Li Zijun of China on 62. Al Jefferson Jersey . It was a move of some time in the making. “He hasnt thrown well, clearly some guys are being used more than him right now and the only way to get out of this funk is to pitch,” said general manager Alex Anthopoulos.TORONTO -- Milos Raonic wasnt at his best but was relieved to stay alive at the Rogers Cup. Despite a serve that was intimidating but not perfect and some erratic play, Raonic won two tiebreaks to beat American Jack Sock 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) on centre court Wednesday night at Rexall Centre. "All the difficulties getting through that match, facing break points two of my service games consecutively, doing a poor job in converting the chances I had," Raonic said. "All those things that maybe if it doesnt go your way you wouldve said, I wish I did this differently, and this and this in these situations, all that, lets say weight that might be on your shoulders, its the relief of that just sort of getting off." Amid chants of "Lets Go Milos," Raonic kept Canadian hope alive in the tournament. On Tuesday, all four men who played singles were eliminated, and Eugenie Bouchard bowed out in Montreal. Raonic cranked his serve up past 200 kilometres per hour, finishing with 15 aces that helped offset some struggles against Sock, who played some of his best tennis even in defeat. Raonic won 79 per cent of his first-serve points, below his stellar average, and failing to be perfect cost him the first set. The 23-year-old held serve in the second set before blowing Sock out in the tiebreak. Raonic needed another tiebreak -- this one tenser -- to finish off the match. "When you play him, usually when you get down a break, it usually means the sets over," Sock said. "Thats why he kind of is where he is though, he kind of comes up big in those moments." Raonic is something of a tiebreak specialist, and this match was no different. "I feel good in those situations," he said. "Especially if things are not going throughout the set the way I wouldve liked, Im not converting opportunities or giving away too many opportunities, I know that if I can get it to a tiebreak I can sort of tip the things in my favour." One thing that tipped the scales in Raonics favour was the crowd. Sock loved the "electric" and "fun" atmosphere but not everything he heard. "A couple of them were a little more rude than I thought," Sock said. "I thought he got treated pretty well last week in the States, and there were some pretty inappropriate comments tonight." Sock blamed himself for missed opportunities, adding that "the fans saying anything didnt change whether I missed those forehands by two inches or not." For his part, Raonic said he has "listened to much worse playing in other countries." Julien Benneteau of France awaits Raonic in the third round Thursday night. Benneteau upset 11th-seeded Ernests Gulbis Wednesday after beating former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in the first round. Raonic said he didnt expect his first match at the Rogers Cup to be perfect. Moving forward, he hopes for improvement. "I expect to play a little bit better tomorrow, but I dont know what that is," Raonic said. By edging Sock, Raonic can keep his recent momentum going. He won last weeks Citi Open in Washington by beating Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil in the first-ever all-Canadiian final a month after becoming the first Canadian to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.dddddddddddd Raonic came into the week tied for his career high in the rankings at No. 6 and now has a chance to keep climbing the ladder. The man atop those rankings, Novak Djokovic, got pushed to the limit earlier in the day before beating Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2) in an emotional match. Monfils pulled out all the stops by hitting a between-the-legs shot and throwing his racket to hit the ball, and each player tried to ignite the crowd to get louder. "Hes probably the only guy in the world, tennis player, that I would pay a ticket to watch the match," Djokovic said of Monfils. "He loves jumping around, sliding, hes very unpredictable. You dont know what his next move is, so thats why hes so interesting." Monfils didnt endear himself to fans by arguing with chair umpire Gerry Armstrong after receiving a time violation, even as they were captivated by his dazzling play on the court. As a result, Djokovic had support behind him as he came back from a three games to one deficit in the third set. After finishing off two-hour, 40-minute classic in a lopsided tiebreak, Djokovic fist-pumped and yelled with excitement. Except for when he chided Armstrong for giving him a warning "for nothing" when he switched his racket, Monfils looked to be enjoying himself for most of the match. The most memorable part of the match was when Monfils threw his racket and kept running without it -- for "fun." Monfils made Djokovic had to earn this victory. "Hes simply the best at the moment," Monfils said of Djokovic. "At some stage of the match, you knew that you could not ace him or have any free points with your serve. This is tough. And then his timing is great, hes always on time, run good, different attacks. I think hes just the No. 1 for a reason." By avoiding what wouldve been the biggest upset of the tournament thus far, Djokovic kept alive the possibility of facing eighth-seeded Andy Murray in the quarter-finals. Murray had little trouble winning his opening match in Toronto, as he beat 19-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios 6-2, 6-2 in the first match of the day on centre court. Murray could have a major challenge in the near future in the form of Djokovic. "Its a tough draw, but its also good to play against someone like a Novak if you get that opportunity in the buildup to the U.S. Open," said Murray, who gets 12th-seeded Richard Gasquet in the next round. "You really see where your game is at." In other action, Gasquet beat hard-serving Ivo Karlovic 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3, fifth-seeded David Ferrer beat American qualifier Michael Russell 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, seventh-seeded Grigr Dimitrov beat Donald Young 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 15th-seeded Marin Cilic beat Malek Jaziri 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 (4), 17th-seeded Tommy Robredo beat Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-4, Kevin Anderson beat 16th-seeded Fabio Fognini 7-5, 6-2, Ivan Dodig beat Andreas Seppi 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5) and Feliciano Lopez beat Tim Smyczek 7-5, 6-4. In doubles, Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic beat Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-4. 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