Oscar Pistorius has been found not guilty of murdering Reeva Steenkamp, Yahoo! News reported on Thursday.
The shocking development was unveiled as Judge Thokozile Masipa read her summation of the evidence in front of a packed courthouse in Pretoria, South Africa, and a worldwide television audience.
Masipa has yet to hand down her final decision in the case against the double-amputee Olympian, which is expected to come Friday. She did reveal in the waning moments of Thursday's summation that she determined Pistorius to have been "negligent," which means he could still be found guilty of culpable homicide, a conviction that comes with a maximum of 15 years in prison, but carries no mandatory jail sentence.
"He acted too hastily and used excessive force," Masipa said.
The dramatic trial lasted six months in Johannesburg, South Africa, and included a month-long break so the Paralympian sprinter known as "Blade Runner" could be evaluated by a team of mental health professionals, according to People.
Judge Thokozile Masipa, along with two legal assistants, then spent the past five weeks deciding on a verdict in the shooting death of Pistorius's girlfriend - model and feminist activist Reeva Steenkamp - early in the morning on Valentine's Day 2013.
The onetime prince of sports testified in his own defense in April and had remained free on bail throughout the remainder of the trial.
Pistorius, 27, said on the witness stand that he heard a window open in his bathroom in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013, leading him to believe intruders had entered his house. He raced to get to his gun to defend himself and his girlfriend, who he said he thought was still in bed.
Pistorius referred to the moment when he said he believed there was a burglar as when "everything changed."
"I wanted to put myself between the person who gained access to my house and Reeva," Pistorius said.
However, prosecutors maintained that Pistorius shot his girlfriend in a rage and presented witnesses who described him as "short-tempered" and "gun-obsessed."
The "Blade Runner" would face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder. A lesser murder charge or negligent killing would also have called for years in jail.
