Judge in Pistorius murder trial, long a remote figure, todeliver verdict in global spotlight

JOHANNESBURG The judge in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial was taciturn through months ofcourt proceedings that caught the attention of the world. On Thursday, however, she'll deliver ajudgment that brings her to the forefront.

Judge Thokozile Masipa, 66, has sat on a dais in redrobes throughout the televised trial, rarelyinterrupting the drama unfolding below as theprosecutor sought to prove that the Olympic athletemurdered girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and defenselawyers argued that the shooting was a terriblemistake.

Her cryptic demeanor, likely meant to project neutrality during contentious proceedings, masks therich personal story of a former social worker and journalist who became one of the first black femalejudges in a country that jettisoned white rule in 1994.

Some experts have pointed to Masipa's record of tough action against criminals who victimizedwomen as indicators that she would not be easily swayed by Pistorius' assertion that he shotSteenkamp through a closed toilet door on Feb. 14, 2013 by mistake, thinking there was an intruderin his house. Yet they also describe her as a good listener and a dispassionate analyst of facts.

For some South Africans, Masipa is a symbol of accomplishment in a country where poverty andunemployment block progress even though all-race politics replaced white minority rule in aeuphoric but troubled transition.

"From our historical background in this country, it is very important that young black people seerole models that are positive," said Kabelo Seabi, a Pretoria lawyer who teaches criminal law. "I'msure that a young female person that's sitting anywhere in South Africa ... would be looking up toher and would wish that, if they were to study law, that they would be able to reach that benchmarkthat she has set."

In the rare instances in the Pistorius trial when her personality has shone through, Masipa has beenstern, chiding the prosecutor for harshly questioning the double-amputee runner when he testifiedin April. And she lightened the mood in the wood-lined courtroom when she joked about makinglawyers work "after church" on a Sunday.

Seabi described her as a competent judge who gave "latitude" to defense and prosecutionarguments. Masipa will not "decide the matter on her own" because she has two legal assistants,Seabi noted.

"There is a remote possibility of the judge going one way and the assessors going another, and thedecision by the majority is the one that will stand, on the facts," Seabi said. But, he said, only thejudge decides on questions of legal principle.

Masipa studied social work and later worked as a reporter for The World, The Sowetan and otherSouth African publications, covering township life at a politically tumultuous time. Under apartheid,she was arrested during a protest against the detention of media colleagues, according to SouthAfrican reports.

Sekola Sello, who worked with Masipa in the media, said he has closely followed the Pistorius trialand that the judge was exhibiting the same "level-headedness" that he remembered in her characterdecades ago.

In 1998, Masipa became a provincial judge on a bench that was still heavily populated by whitemales. Last year, she sentenced a serial rapist to 250 years in prison. In 2009, she sentenced aformer police officer to life in prison for fatally shooting his wife after a dispute over separationterms. She has ruled in favor of squatters who resisted attempts to evict them from a Johannesburgbuilding and said authorities should help them find alternative lodging; and ruled against a formerhead of Eskom, the national electricity company, who alleged he was illegally dismissed.

South Africa does not have a jury system, so Masipa will read her verdict Thursday in a lengthyprocess, filled with summaries of testimony and legal references, that some analysts say mightrequire more court time on Friday. Clues about the looming verdict could emerge during thereading, but Pistorius will only know the judgment for or against him at the end of what is likely tobe a long reading that will grip the world's attention.

Pistorius could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder. He could also beconvicted of a lesser murder charge or negligent killing, both of which call for years in jail. Thejudge could acquit him if she believes the 27-year-old made a tragic error.

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Associated Press journalists Carley Petesch and Nqobile Ntshangase contributed to this report.

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