A man was yesterday found guilty of killing his best friend of 14 years by stabbing him nine times.
Darren Riley went on trial at the High Court in Aberdeen accused of murdering former junior boxing champion Robert Reid while staying at his home on Arange Place in October 2016.
He claimed he was acting in self-defence after Mr Reid, 26, said he was going to kill him during an argument before punching two of his teeth out and slashing him with a knife.
But yesterday the jury of eight men and seven women took just under three hours to find him guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.
Riley showed no reaction in the dock as the verdict was read out but Mr Reid’s family were left in tears.
Lord Kinclaven deferred sentence on the 29-year-old, of Don Place in Aberdeen, to allow for background reports to be obtained.
He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Edinburgh High Court later this month.
While giving evidence, Riley claimed an argument broke out between him and Mr Reid and said he remembered grabbing a knife after being slashed in the face.
He claimed to have no memory of anything beyond that and said he had met with a psychologist to try and help him recall what had happened.
He also said the pair had been consuming valium, cannabis and alcohol in the build up to the fight at the flat in Aberdeen.
The court also heard that he went to the nearby home of a former girlfriend’s grandmother after the incident and arrived covered in blood.
When she rang for an ambulance, he neglected to tell anyone what had happened to Mr Reid and instead said he had been in a fight in a chip shop.
Last night police described the incident as a “tragedy” and warned of the dangers of “mixing alcohol and drugs.”
Detective Inspector Gary Winter of the major investigation team, said: “The death of Robert Reid was a tragedy involving two men who had been friends for years.
“The events which unfolded that fateful night demonstrate the clear risks of mixing alcohol with drugs which, on this occasion, resulted in a needless violent confrontation between them involving a knife.
“My thoughts are with Mr Reid’s family and friends.”