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Judge: Pistorius Can't Be Found Guilty Of Murder

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - The judge in Oscar Pistorius' trial said Thursday he can't be found guilty of murder but that he was negligent in the killing of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, raising the possibility that the double-amputee Olympian will be convicted of culpable homicide.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said she felt Pistorius acted negligently when he fatally shot Steenkamp. She then stopped delivering her judgment and adjourned until Friday when a formal verdict in the case that has riveted much of South Africa and the world is expected.

While the judge did not announce any formal verdicts she indicated Pistorius would not be convicted on premeditated murder or a lesser murder charge, but that may be vulnerable to being convicted of culpable homicide, or in other words a negligent killing.

That normally carries a five-year jail sentence in South Africa, but it can be changed by a judge depending on the specific circumstances of the killing.

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