For those expecting Oscar Pistorius’ trial verdict on Sept. 11 to be delivered as simply as a judge saying “guilty” or “not guilty”, think again.

There were approximately 40 witnesses that took the stand in court and judge Thokozile Masipa will go through every bit of evidence that was considered for the verdict. There is no jury system in South Africa, so these details have been reviewed by Masipa and two other assessors. 

It could take hours or possibly days to hear whether Pistorius intentionally shot and killed model and girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentines Day 2013. 

Pistorius faces a murder charge, two charges of unlawfully discharging a weapon in public and one count of illegal possession of ammunition for a firearm. The gun and murder charges are unrelated. 

The verdict will determine if Pistorius killed his girlfriend after an argument or whether he fired in self defense thinking it was a home intruder. He testified saying he heard a home invader and fired his gun to protect himself and Reeva. 

Premeditated murder carries a longer prison sentence than a lesser manslaughter charge which would look into whether Pistorius acted negligent while shooting through the door without cause. South Africa does not have the death penalty. A life sentence could be set for 25 years and then eligible for parole. Non pre-meditated murder could result in a prison sentence of a minimum 15 years. 

Pistorius could also be acquitted by Masipa. This means he acted with no bad intentions behind the shooting and responded reasonably afterwards. 

As for the gun charges, the punishments can range from monetary fines to short prison sentences. 

The trial has lasted over seven months and has visibly taken a toll on the Olympian. Pistorius has cried and even vomited throughout the proceedings. He was seen back on the track briefly during June 2013. He has remained free on bail during the trial proceedings. If he is convicted, his bail expires and Masipa must make a new ruling on bail. 

Any conviction will require another hearing to determine how much prison time Pistorius may see. Pistorius can appeal any jail time after sentencing. 

There will be a verdict in the coming days, but Oscar Pistorius’ days in court may not be over so soon. The saga in the South African court room continues at 3:30 a.m. ET. 

Chris Chavez is a writer at Flotrack and marathon analyst for ESPN. He once beat Joey Fatone of NSYNC in a half-marathon. Feel free to to reach him with any questions, comments, or feedback on Twitter or by email.