PREMEDITATED MURDER
Most legal analysts praised Masipa's verdict that Pistorius could not be found guilty of premeditated or pre-planned murder. Masipa called the prosecution's evidence "circumstantial" and said prosecutors did not show pre-planning from the double-amputee Olympic runner.
Prosecutors presented evidence from Pistorius' neighbors who testified they heard a woman screaming from his Pretoria villa in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14, 2013. Masipa rejected that evidence -- and with it the prosecution's allegation of a nighttime fight between the couple -- saying those witnesses could not be certain that what they heard was screams from a woman.
South African criminal defense lawyer Marius du Toit said Masipa dealt with the premeditated murder charge "brilliantly."
