Sunshine Coast teenager who stabbed stepdad 35 times found not guilty of murder

Australia Broadcast Center

6 days ago

A Sunshine Coast teenager who stabbed his stepfather 35 times has been found not guilty of his murder.
The now 18-year-old, who cannot be identified as he was 16 at the time, was also found not guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter by a jury on Wednesday.
At the beginning of his Supreme Court trial, the teenager admitted he had caused the man's death in 2022, but argued he was acting in self-defence.
After deliberating for less than a day, a jury acquitted him, accepting his version of events.
The public gallery was packed with the victim and defendant's family members, including the teenager's mother. Several cried as the verdict was handed down.
The teenager was discharged from the dock and free to leave the court.
During the trial the teenager told the court that on the night, he had been smoking cannabis and drinking alongside his mother's long-term partner at their home.
He said the mood shifted after his stepfather offered his younger brother some of the drug.
The teenager told the court he became scared after his stepfather called him "ungrateful" and started bragging about violent acts he had previously committed.
During a struggle, he told the court he felt forced to repeatedly stab his stepfather, who had put him in a "bear hug" and kept reaching for the 23-centimetre knife.
The defence argued the teenager believed the man was a "real threat to him" and he thought he was going to be killed.
The trial heard from more than a dozen witnesses including the teenager's mother, other family members, neighbours, and emergency services.