A young man who fatally struck a grandfather with a baseball bat on Christmas Day will walk free from court after a jury found him not guilty of manslaughter.
Hudson Martin, 21, faced trial by jury in Victoria's Supreme Court after being charged with manslaughter over the death of Anthony Clark, 50, during a 2019 street brawl in the city's northeast.
Jurors returned the verdict on Friday after one day of deliberations, finding Mr Martin not guilty.
Applause erupted in the court room in Melbourne as the verdict was read out by the jury foreperson, with tears flowing from members of Mr Clark's family.
The fight started after an argument over some illegal fireworks on Christmas Day, outside Mr Clark's Mooroolbark home.
Prosecutors told the jury Mr Clark was set upon by a group of eight young men shortly before 11pm on December 25.
He threatened the group with a baseball bat and was ordering them to leave his property when Mr Martin used the bat to strike Mr Clark's head.
He fell to the ground and prosecutors alleged another man in the group kicked him, before they all fled.
Mr Clark was taken to hospital, where he died three days later.
Mr Martin's barrister Ashlee Cannon said her client, who was aged 18 at the time, was young, scared and trying to defend himself from an imminent assault when he hit Mr Clark.
She previously told the jury it was one of the clearest cases of self-defence.
Justice Jane Dixon excused the jury and allowed Mr Martin to exit the dock inside the court.
