Oscar Pistorius might have escaped a life sentence, possibly even any jail time at all, but the controversy surrounding the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp is unlikely to end with a judge's formal verdict on Friday.
The Blade Runner is set to be acquitted of murdering Ms Steenkamp in what is being seen across South Africa as a controversial verdict.
Judge Thokozile Masipa is on Friday expected to convict Pistorius of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter in Australia - after declaring he acted negligently, unreasonably and with excessive force.
Culpable homicide, which carries no fixed minimum sentence, can be punished with little more than a slap on the wrist.
While millions around the world were quick to agree or disagree with the verdict, lawyers began arguing that perhaps the judge had conflated different elements of murder and culpable homicide.
South African legal expert Pierre de Vos, who specialises in constitutional law, said while it did not come as a big surprise that Judge Masipa could not find a case for premeditated murder beyond a reasonable doubt, it caused lawyers some consternation that she had not convicted him of murder.
In a blog post on his website, Mr de Vos said it was puzzling that Judge Masipa found Pistorius was "truly distressed" about having killed Ms Steenkamp.
"How could he subjectively have foreseen that he would kill her if after the fact he was so distressed? But although this might show that he did not subjectively foresee that he would kill Reeva Steenkamp, it says nothing about subjectively foreseeing that he would kill who he had thought was an intruder hiding behind the door," he wrote.
"Given all the evidence presented in court about Pistorius's knowledge of guns and what the bullets he used would do to a person, it is unlikely in the extreme that Pistorius did not foresee that the person behind the door (who he might have thought was an intruder) would be killed."
Many others agreed, and suggested the state has a very strong case for appeal, suggesting prosecutor Gerrie Nel begin his paperwork almost immediately.
Legal expert Marius du Toit said an appeal is "extremely likely" from Pistorius, especially if he is given any jail time. But that appeal can only happen after sentencing.
While it is less common for the state to appeal, it's almost certainly going to happen in this case, in a challenge to the judge's interpretation of the law.
The case, which rivals OJ Simpson's 1995 trial as one of the world's great legal spectacles, shows no sign of going away, even after Friday's verdict.
