No verdict in Qld fatal stabbing case

A jury has failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the case of a man accused of killing his Gold Coast housemate in a gruesome stabbing.

Paul Gathercole had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Robbie Joseph Charles at Mermaid Beach on February 1, 2014.

The pair had lived together for about a year when the fatal stabbing took place.

That night they had been out to a darts club function and then the Nobby's Beach Surf Life Saving Club, with Mr Charles' girlfriend Vanessa Heath.

Things took a fatal turn when the trio returned home, with Ms Heath eventually finding her boyfriend of four years dying in the driveway with his intestines falling out a huge wound.

During the trial, the crown prosecutor argued Gathercole stabbed his friend with the intention of killing him, or at the very least, causing him grievous bodily harm.

Justice Jean Dalton discharged the jury on Wednesday afternoon after they gave her a note saying they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

She adjourned the case to a callover court and said she would ask the list manager to prioritise the case.

Gathercole was remanded in custody.