Those following the Oscar Pistorius murder trial have seen hyper-emotional testimony from the athlete this week, as he has broken down, sobbed and even vomited during testimony surrounding the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius, who is charged with premeditated murder in Steenkamp's death, says he shot the model by accident on Feb. 14, 2013 after mistaking her for an intruder. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 25 years in prison before the possibility of parole.

A dramatic and aggressive start to his cross-examination this week caused Pistorius to break down and the judge to call a recess – actions that one expert calls unusual.

U.S. trial attorney and criminal profiler Heather Hansen told CTV News Channel on Wednesday that while Pistorius is displaying overwhelming, “over the top” grief during the high-profile trial, it won't have an impact on the outcome – particularly because it will be a judge, not a jury, coming to a verdict.

"The understanding is a judge can put that sympathy aside and look at all of the evidence to come to her decision," Hansen said.

She said Pistorius' emotional display will likely not work for or against him.

"It doesn't get to the question in the case, which is whether or not he intended to kill Reeva."

The chief prosecutor in the murder trial urged Pistorius on Wednesday to look at a police photograph of Steenkamp's bloodied head with gruesome wounds. But Hansen pointed out that Pistorius didn't distance himself from the shooting.

"He said, ‘I've lived with this, I was there, I held her head in my hands.’ It seemed almost like a dramatic moment the prosecutor was trying to create to break him," Hansen said. "As we've seen through the case, since the first day, is that he's already broken -- throwing up, crying. He's already out of control."