Guilty verdict over Vic river body parts

Three ice users have been found guilty of murdering a man in a bath, chopping him up and dumping parts in a Melbourne river.

Matthew Brennan, 38, Edward "Nippy" Hill, 48, and Con Spaliaras, 32, showed little emotion when the jury handed down its verdict on Friday.

The trio murdered Brendan "B" Bernard, 32, whose remains were found in the Maribyrnong River early in February last year.

A person walking along the river spotted an arm, with a distinctive red devil tattoo, before police found other remains.

Prosecutor Gavin Silbert QC told the trio's trial they dumped Mr Bernard's remains in the river - except for his head, hands and feet - so he wouldn't be identified.

But they failed to account for the tattoo, which led to their victim's identification.

The Victorian Supreme Court heard the men assaulted Mr Bernard in the flat he shared with Brennan.

They killed him in the bath on January 27 and, after leaving him for a week, chopped him up and disposed of his remains.

A woman, who was in the flat at the time of the assault, was told to stay in the kitchen as they beat and cut Mr Bernard, the jury heard.

She went into the bathroom where she saw Mr Bernard with a rope around his neck.

Spaliaras said to her: "Here, have a pull of the dog", Mr Silbert told the trial.

The woman said the assault happened after Mr Bernard failed to pay for $60 worth of morphine pills he took "on tick" - meaning on credit.

A forensic examination found traces of the deceased man's blood on a vacuum cleaner Brennan sold to Cash Converters.

Everyone present in the flat the day Mr Bernard was killed was using significant amounts of the drug ice, the court was told.

The men had admitted disposing of Mr Bernard's body, but denied they murdered him.

The trio will front a plea hearing at a later date.

Mr Bernard's relatives were in court on Friday, some of them crying after the guilty verdict was announced.