Source : Perth Now news
A wheelchair-bound man murdered his friend with a steak knife while in a drug-affected state, a jury has found.
Mark Graham Ludbrook was charged after police located his friend Autumn Baker dead in his Melbourne home in the afternoon of August 3, 2023.
Ludbrook was found naked in the backyard of the Hoppers Crossing property with self-inflicted wounds.
He faced a two-week trial in the Victorian Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murder, with his defence arguing that he was not in control of his actions at the time.
During the trial, jurors heard Ludbrook had turned to illicit drugs to manage his chronic pain and had been acting strangely on the day Ms Baker died.
After four days of deliberations, a jury of 12 Victorians returned to court on Thursday afternoon, finding Ludbrook guilty of the charge.
Ludbrook, seated in a motorised wheelchair, had little reaction, closing his eyes several times as two supporters began to sob.
He was remanded into custody by Justice James Gorton ahead of a presentence hearing.
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