Family members have expressed their "relief" after a Babinda man was found guilty of stabbing his sister to death in the family home after a night out drinking.
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images and names of people who have died.
A jury in the Supreme Court in Townsville has found Dennis William Sore, 43, guilty of murdering his sister, Samantha Rose Bong, 49, in her Pimlico home in February 2020.
When asked by the judge if he had anything to say after the verdict, Sore simply said "No".
Outside court, a relative of Ms Bong, Reverend Rebecca Hollingsworth, said it had been a long wait for justice.
"Wednesday will be three years since Samantha was murdered," she said.
"Today, justice has been served and guilty is what we wanted.
"Dennis has now been called to account for his actions."
Reverend Hollingsworth said many relatives were relieved to hear a guilty verdict.
"[They were] crying, relieved, one person even passed out, it's been so tough," she said.
"She did not ask for this. Justice has been served."
In the second week of the trial, Sore told the court he had wanted to stop his sister from laughing when he went into the kitchen to grab a knife.
"She turned around and said 'stab me', " he said.
"It made me very, very angry … I lost control.
"I just stabbed her."
Sore said he did not know he was stabbing his sister and had no intention to kill her.
"I [thought I] was just hitting thin air … I had no control."
The court heard Sore, Ms Bong and their mother, Veronica Sore, had all been drinking together at the Centenary Hotel in Townsville since 10am on the day of Ms Bong's death.
The trio then returned home to Ms Bong's unit where Sore was staying and continued drinking into the night.
Sore told the court that they were "laughing and happy" before the evening took a turn.
"My sister's attitude changed … she didn't like me and my mother talking," he said.
Sore said his sister was swearing at him and told him he was "useless".
"She was degrading me … expressing her authority, belittling me, making me look stupid," he said.
"I wanted her to shut up.
"I called her a slut and a whore."
A neighbour gave evidence that he had overheard Sore speaking calmly and Ms Bong shouting.
The court heard his sister then went into the kitchen and when she returned to where Sore was sitting, hit him in the back of the head with a bottle.
"It was hard because blood started pouring down the back of my head," he said.
Ms Bong's partner at the time, Steven Solinas, was in the unit on the night of her death.
He told the court he was asleep in another room and Ms Bong had woken him up and told him she was fighting with her brother.
Mr Solinas said he heard Ms Bong saying "don't you smash up my place" and had heard what sounded like plates smashing before he fell back asleep.
He said when he came into the lounge room some time later, he saw Ms Bong lying in a pool of blood on the floor with her mother and brother next to her.
Mr Solinas told the court Sore had told him to call an ambulance.
Veronica Sore also gave evidence at the trial, telling the court she saw her son repeatedly stab his sister in the lounge room.
Sore's brother, Gerald Sore, was also called to give evidence, and said he had received a text from his brother that read: "I b [sic] killed Sam".
Another sister and niece told the court they had heard Sore saying he had "killed Samantha" during a phone call on the night of Ms Bong's death.
Dennis Sore will be sentenced on February 24.
