A jury has found a man not guilty of the murder and manslaughter of a teenager who died in Victoria's northeast.
Zachary Johnson stood trial in Victoria's Supreme Court, charged with killing Jaxen Henderson Gillespie in a Wangaratta park in August 2021.
Mr Johnson's lawyer said there was no dispute his client had a knife that went into Mr Henderson Gillespie's neck, but said the central issue in the case was self-defence.
"These are 18-year-old men. This situation happened quickly. It was dynamic," Daniel Sala told the court.
Prosecutors had argued Johnson fatally stabbed Mr Henderson Gillespie in circumstances where he intended to kill him, or at least cause really serious injury.
A dispute over a girl had been simmering for months before the incident, he said.
After the incident, the court heard Mr Johnson ran away and contacted his sister, telling her he had accidentally stabbed someone.
Jurors rejected the prosecution case, fining Mr Johnson not guilt of murder, and not guilty of the alternative charge of manslaughter.
