SA man has murder conviction quashed

A man found guilty of murdering a drug dealer and dumping his body in a forest has had his conviction overturned.

Patrick Francis McCarthy, 54, was found guilty of the murder of Michael Varehov, 43, whose body was found in a shallow grave in Kuitpo Forest, south of Adelaide, in June 2012.

But the South Australian Court of Criminal Appeal quashed the conviction on Monday and ordered a new trial.

In its judgment the appeal court said the trial judge had erred in not leaving the jury open to return a verdict of manslaughter by provocation.