The verdict: What's next?

  • Pistorius has reached out to Reeva Steenkamp's family
  • His sponsors cut ties with him after the killing.
(CNN) -- Long before he was accused of murder, Oscar Pistorius was toasted the world over for his triumph over a disability. His lightning running speed -- which took him all the way to the Olympics despite using carbon legs -- attracted sponsorships worth millions.

But as his murder trial dragged on, his popularity plummeted and sponsors abruptly dropped him.
Now that a judge has found him guilty of negligent homicide, what's next for the man known as the Blade Runner?
When will he be sentenced?
Judge Thokozile Masipa granted him bail Friday, and set sentencing for October 13. Sentencing is not a one-day affair in South Africa. The prosecution wanted him held without bail, saying he sold his immovable assets, and that makes him a flight risk. The judge disagreed.
Will he return to competitive running?
Pistorius trial: How was decision reached?Pistorius trial: How was decision reached?
CNN's Curnow: 'The Pistorius I knew'
Steenkamp: Law student to cover girl Steenkamp: Law student to cover girl
Photos: Oscar Pistorius murder trial Photos: Oscar Pistorius murder trial
Though he has been running during the trial, he has not been involved in any competitions. He's said he runs because it relaxes him and gets his mind off things. It's unclear if he will return to competitive running. He is known to be a fierce, passionate competitor -- driven by a need for speed and adrenaline.
Has he reached out to Reeva Steenkamp's family?
Pistorius says he's tried to, but her family is not ready to talk to him. Her mother, June Steenkamp, has confirmed that.
During the trial, he tried to reach out to them, her mother said. Pistorius' sister, Aimee, also tried to pass a note to Steenkamp, but she shunned it.
"It won't bring my daughter back," she told the Daily Mirror. "We just want to know the truth."
On Friday, the second day of the verdict, Pistorius made another attempt at greeting her relatives in court.
What about his sports endorsements?
Pistorius had coveted endorsements both overseas and in his home country. With his negligent homicide conviction, they probably won't be coming back.
His most prominent sponsor was Nike, a deal reportedly worth about $2 million and signed in 2012. But it also turned into a liability during his murder trial. Nike's ad referred to him as "the bullet in the chamber," words you don't want associated with you when you're accused of shooting your girlfriend to death.
Nike dropped him in February of last year. Others followed suit, including M-Net Movies. The South African TV channel had featured him in an ad campaign.
How much time is he facing?
There's no legal maximum (or minimum) sentence for culpable homicide, said Kelly Phelps, a CNN legal analyst. A typical sentence is five to eight years. But it is a principle of South African law that the sentence should be tailored to the culprit as a whole person, as opposed to the crime. That makes predicting a sentence difficult.
Will he get special treatment in prison?
If observation is anything to go by, the double amputee may be put in the same area as the general population -- even blind prisoners are placed with sighted prisoners in South Africa.
But, ahead of his release on bail last year, the African National Congress Women's League said the athlete benefited from special privileges, adding that his family could visit him outside visiting hours, unlike relatives of other inmates.
Can both sides appeal?
Pistorius can appeal the verdict or the sentence, potentially to the supreme court and even eventually to South Africa's constitutional court.
But the state can appeal only if it believes the judge has misinterpreted the law in reaching her verdict.
The right to appeal depends on whether, based on the facts of the case, the initial judge or magistrate believes a different court could possibly reach a different verdict.
South Africa's highest court, known as the constitutional court, was once just for cases regarding constitutional matters, but a recent act of parliament broadened its responsibilities.
CNN.

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