The schedule, announced at a news conference Wednesday in

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PRETORIA, South Africa -- The judge in Oscar Pistorius trial ruled out a murder conviction for the double-amputee Olympian Thursday in the shooting death of his girlfriend but said he was negligent, raising the possibility hell be convicted of culpable homicide. The verdict in the case that has riveted much of South Africa and the world is expected on Friday when Judge Thokozile Masipa reconvenes the judgment phase, climaxing the trial that began in March. If Pistorius is acquitted of murder, he could still be sent to jail for a maximum of 15 years if convicted of culpable homicide, which is the killing of someone through reckless or negligent behaviour, although five years in prison is a guideline when a firearm is used. The red-robed Masipa, sitting in the dais and looking down at Pistorius and the packed courtroom, said she felt Pistorius acted negligently when he fired four times through a toilet door in his home in the pre-dawn hours of Valentines Day last year. In a moment of high-drama, Masipa then stopped reading out her verdict in the six-month-long trial and adjourned until Friday. Because there is no trial by jury in South Africa, Masipa is expected to explain exactly why she and her two legal aides came to the decision they have before the judge issues the verdict. "I am of the view that the accused acted too hastily and with excessive force," Masipa said of Pistorius actions on the fatal night. She said the prosecution had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Pistorius committed premeditated murder. She also ruled out a lesser murder charge. As she spoke, Pistorius began sobbing quietly on the wooden bench, his shoulders shaking. Murder is an illegal, intentional killing. A premeditated, or planned, murder would carry a heavier sentence in the event of a conviction. The world-famous athlete has acknowledged firing the shots through the toilet door in his home, hitting Steenkamp in the head, arm and hip area with hollow-point bullets from his 9 mm pistol. He said he mistook her for an intruder and denied murder, but the judge said Pistorius still could have taken other action, like calling the police or security at his housing estate. "Did the accused fail to take steps he should have taken? Yes," Masipa said. "He failed to take any steps to avoid the death." The prosecution alleged that the athlete intentionally killed his girlfriend, a model and budding reality TV star, after a loud nighttime argument heard by neighbours. Masipa said there were "just not enough facts" to support the finding of premeditated murder or the lesser murder without pre-planning. "The accused cannot be found guilty of murder," the judge said. At the start of the judgment hearing, Masipa told Pistorius, 27, that he should remain seated on the bench while she read her findings out and until she asked him to stand for the verdict. In her hours-long assessment of witness evidence, she called Pistorius a "very poor witness" who had lost his composure on the stand and was at times "evasive." But Masipa emphasized that did not mean he was guilty of murder. The 66-year-old judge also cast doubt on witness accounts of hearing a womans screams, a key part of the prosecutions case. The defence had argued that it was Pistorius who was screaming in a high-pitched voice after discovering he had fatally shot Steenkamp. Masipa also cited testimony of an acoustics expert called by the defence, saying it cast "serious doubt" on whether witnesses who were hundreds of meters (yards) away in their homes -- as some state witnesses were -- could have differentiated between the screams of a man or a ................................ At one point, Masipa said: "I continue to explain why most witnesses got their facts wrong." Masipa also said she was disregarding text messages between Steenkamp and Pistorius that had been entered as evidence. Prosecutors had submitted text messages that showed tension between them while the defence submitted messages that indicated mutual affection. That evidence, the judge said, doesnt prove anything. "Normal relationships are dynamic and unpredictable most of the time, while human beings are fickle," she said. Pistorius faced 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder. He also faced a minimum of 15 years in jail if found guilty of murder without pre-planning. Pistorius is charged with murder, two counts of unlawfully firing a gun in a public place in unrelated incidents and one count of illegal possession of ammunition. Before Thursdays session began, Pistorius hugged his brother Carl, who was seated in a wheelchair because of leg injuries suffered in a recent car crash. The parents of Steenkamp were also in the packed gallery. Other members of Pistorius family, including his father Henke, sat behind him. If Pistorius is convicted on any charge, the case will be postponed until a later sentencing hearing. Daniel Lovitz Jersey . -- A lawyer for the fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez asked a judge Friday to throw out perjury charges, saying Shayanna Jenkins did not wilfully lie as she was bombarded with 1,630 questions over two days before a grand jury. Michael Bradley Jersey . The Italian football federation announced the appointment, three days after new president Carlo Tavecchio was elected. Tavecchio and Conte spoke on the phone early Thursday. http://www.torontofcshop.com/c-18-josh- ... ersey.aspx. Al Horford said all he had to do was make the catch near the basket and then shoot a soft jumper. Marco Delgado Toronto Jersey . He made that dream a reality Wednesday night. Olt, who grew up in Branford, Connecticut, attended UConn and made a nearly 2 1-2 hour trek to Boston a handful of times to watch the Red Sox, belted a two-run homer, one of four hit by Cubs in a 16-9 rout that completed a three-game interleague series sweep. Nick Hagglund Toronto Jersey . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. TORONTO -- The UFC will hold five shows in Canada in 2014, including a return to Vancouver and new stops in Halifax and Quebec City. The schedule, announced at a news conference Wednesday in Quebec City, also calls for fights cards in Toronto and Montreal. The five shows are up from three in recent years when Toronto and Montreal were constants on the schedule with another city rotating in. The busy calendar is a nod to the appetite for mixed martial arts north of the border. "On a per-capita basis, no nation in the world consumes MMA like we do," Tom Wright, director of UFC Operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, said in an interview. "The fact weve been able to go from three events to five events is a reflection of that. "Well have three of the (UFCs) 13 pay-per-views (in 2014)." Quebec City will host a show for the first time in the form of a televised UFC Fight Night for the live finale to "The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia" on April 16 at Le Colisee Pepsi. The UFC returns to Vancouver on June 14 -- for the first time since UFC 131 in June 2011 -- for UFC 174 at the Rogerrs Arena.dddddddddddd The MMA promoter opted to stay away because of what it saw as onerous insurance and other requirements that have since been modified. "Now were in a position where we can return and were very much looking forward to it," said Wright. "Vancouvers been a great city for us, its a great MMA market for us -- all of Western Canada is. Toronto gets its fifth show in the form of UFC 178 on Sept. 27 at the Air Canada Centre. The UFC debuts in Halifax on Oct. 4 with a televised Fight Night card at the Metro Centre. And the Canadian schedule concludes Dec. 6 with UFC 181 at the Bell Centre, marking Montreals seventh show. Wright says it is too early to speculate on marquee matchups at the Canadian shows. But rival TUF Nations coaches Patrick (The Predator) Cote of Montreal and Australian Kyle Noke will face off in Quebec City. A lightweight bout between Sam (Hands of Stone) Stout and K.J. Noons has already been announced for the Quebec City show. The UFC has held 14 pay-per-view shows to date in Canada: six in Montreal, four in Toronto, two in Vancouver and one in each of Calgary and Winnipeg. Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '