After six months of precarious wait, Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius faces judgment day following the killing of his model ex-girlfriend on Valentine's Day. The incident ignited a series of an on-off trial on the amputee's fate.

On Thursday, Judge Thokozile Masipa will hand down the verdict on South Africa's renowned 'Blade Runner' for killing Reeva Steenkamp on February 14 last year, opening the possibility of Pistorius to spend a maximum of 25 years in South African prison prior to the determination of his eligibility for parole.

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With his private life already a global spectacle, the famous sprint star's fate depends on whether Judge Masipa, a 66-year-old African woman from Soweto, sides with the defendant or with the state.

On Valentine's Day last year, Pistorius was arrested for allegedly shooting Steenkamp four times in a fit of rage at his house nearby Pretoria. However, this was a claim he strongly denied.

Four days later, his legal group released a signed affidavit declaring the athlete's innocence and claiming that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder in his home when he fired four shots through a closed bathroom door.

When the court heard his case, several witnesses testified that they heard a woman's scream following what seemed like two people arguing and then shots from a gun.

Upon his turn on the witness stand, Pistorius emotionally apologized to the victim's family and insists that though he fired the shots, he did not intend to murder the 29-year-old model. This plea was contrary to what the prosecution team dubbed as a "premeditated" murder.

Unlike in the United States, the South African court system does not have a jury to decide on the conviction or acquittal of a defendant. Hence, Pistorius' fate is left in the hands of one judge and two assessors.

Judge Masipa and her companions are given two days to analyze 37 witness testimonies and evidence on the case. She will then explain her conclusions based on her analysis.

Though she is expected to go through each charge in the order they were first presented in court, she may choose to deliver all four at once on the second day to keep order in the court.

TagsOscar Pistorius, Paralympian Runner, judgment day, South Africa, Reeva Steenkamp, Murder