Man found guilty of killing his cousin after drug disagreement

Man who stabbed his cousin to death found guilty of manslaughter In short: A judge has found a man guilty of manslaughter three years after he stabbed his cousin multiple times. Justice Stephen Campbell ruled there was a drug transaction at some time between the pair before the confrontation. What's next? Lardner will be sentenced in November. A judge has found a man who stabbed his cousin multiple times on the New South Wales Mid North Coast in 2023 not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Conrad Lardner, 51, was arrested on May 17, 2023, and charged with murdering his 39-year-old cousin David Vale. Mr Vale was found with stab wounds on Robert Eggins Street in South Kempsey on March 1, 2023. The judge-alone murder trial began on June 29 at Port Macquarie Supreme Court and ran for four weeks. The court heard Lardner stabbed Mr Vale twice, with one puncture to the lower side of the chest and another through his rib cage and heart. Mr Vale died within 15 minutes. Judge Campbell delivered his verdict today, accepting that Lardner killed Mr Vale but saying there was insufficient evidence to prove intent. "I accept it is possible he armed himself with the knife, but there is no real evidence that supports the possibility, other than having the opportunity to do so," he said. Fight over bad drugs During Lardner's cross-examination, he told the court Mr Vale confronted him complaining about the quality of the drugs he was sold. "I want my f****** money back, what you gave me was shit I went to sleep on it," Lardner told the trial. "I said, 'There's not a refund,'" Lardner told the court. Justice Stephen Campbell told the court he did not accept the defence's evidence that Mr Vale bought drugs from Lardner on the morning of the stabbing. "The accused gave evidence when the deceased arrived he was raving on about drugs the accused sold him," Justice Campbell said. "I do not accept what the accused said happened on the morning or that he never supplied drugs to the deceased ever. "It seems to follow when the deceased complained about good quality drugs he was referring to a previous supply at some earlier point in time that evidence does not disclose." It was the Crown case that during the "scuffle" between Mr Vale and Lardner outside the home, Lardner went back into the kitchen and retrieved a knife before stabbing Mr Vale twice. Justice Campbell said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt Lardner's "voluntary act" caused Mr Vale's death. "The fact the accused stabbed twice with a knife provides some evidence of intent to inflict serious grievous bodily harm,"he said. Defence barrister Dennis Stewart said Lardner acted in self-defence and that he picked up the knife which fell out of Mr Vale's pocket. Conflicting accounts Judge Campbell told the court that the 20 witnesses who gave evidence during the trial, including Lardner, were "contradicted, discredited and challenged" by prior statements made to police or witnesses. "I am satisfied to a necessary degree the deceased had developed a grievance over the accused over the supply of inferior quality drugs which did not give him the desire he wanted,"Justice Campbell said. "It just seems preposterous the deceased would bail him up about defective drugs which had never been supplied by him." Jessica Howard, who was David Vale's partner at the time, said she was glad he "got some justice". "I'm glad the outcome was manslaughter and not not guilty," Ms Howard said. "I don't really know how I feel because nothing is going to bring David back." "It affects us everyday, he was a good father and we no longer have him with us anymore." Lardner was originally refused bail but he was released on conditional bail on November 11, 2023. Today, Justice Campbell refused him bail to be sentenced on November 13.