A Nelson man who denied killing a man living on a boat has been found guilty of murder.
Martin Grant Price has been found guilty of murder. Photo: RNZ/ Tracy Neal
Martin Grant Price was accused of murdering John Murray Morton, whose body was found on the deck of a boat moored at Nelson Haven in Atawhai in 2016.
The build-up to Mr Morton's death was described by the Crown as juvenile schoolyard abuse, a text feud of habitual insults that had escalated into an attack.
Crown prosecutor Jackson Webber told the court the victim met a violent death.
"He used at least a knife and his booted feet.
"The knife was one with a blade that was long enough to penetrate some 15cm deep into Mr Morton's body.
The victim was an itinerant who lived on a small boat in and around Nelson Harbour.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict after just over three hours of deliberation.
Price is to be sentenced next month.
