Qld man awaits sentence over mate's death

A north Queensland man convicted of manslaughter over the fatal stabbing of his best friend in 2012 will learn his fate on Friday.

Jurors in the Supreme Court in Cairns on Thursday found Rodney Pickering, 46, not guilty of murdering his childhood friend Ivan Owens in Croydon, in the state's northwest, in December 2012.

They instead found him guilty of manslaughter, meaning he was involved with Mr Owens death but didn't intentionally kill him.

The court heard during the trial, which began on February 2, that Pickering stabbed Mr Owens with a knife during an argument between the pair at another friend's house in Croydon.

The pair, who had known each other for more than 40 years, had hours earlier been drinking together at a local pub.

Pickering, who gave evidence during the trial, had argued he acted in self-defence after the much larger Mr Owens became aggressive towards him.

In a statement read to the court on Thursday, Mr Owens' brother Lance said his sibling was a good man who could have been great if hadn't been killed.

"We lost a potential leader for this community," he said.

Justice Jim Henry adjourned sentencing until Friday afternoon so he could consider the matter overnight.

He described the stabbing as "a terrible, terrible tragedy" that happened in the heat of the moment.

A large number of Mr Owens' friends and family gathered in the public gallery on Thursday to hear the verdict read out.