Victorian jury finds man guilty of murdering childhood friend

A Victorian Supreme Court jury has found a 50-year-old man guilty of murdering his childhood friend at her home in far western Victoria. David Douglas McLennan admitted killing Caroline Smith in May 2025 but denied that the killing amounted to murder.

The jury returned its verdict on Tuesday after beginning deliberations on Monday. It had heard six days of evidence. McLennan claimed he lost control during an argument and did not intend to kill Smith. Prosecutors argued that the evidence showed an intention to kill.

The pair had known each other at school in Western Australia. McLennan moved into the Victorian home shared by Smith and her husband in October 2023 to help while her husband was seriously ill. He remained there after her husband died in September 2024.

Police discovered Smith's body during a welfare check on May 15, 2025. The case is now moving to the sentencing process following the jury's guilty verdict, rather than remaining an unresolved allegation.

McLennan is due to face a pre-sentence hearing on November 24. The available report does not state that a sentence has already been imposed.