Updated March 20, 2018 16:05:45

Photo: Teenager Michael Brack died from a single stab wound after he bled out on a Bundall street. (Facebook: Michael Brack)

A man accused of murdering a 16-year-old boy on the Gold Coast in 2015 during a botched drug deal has been found not guilty by a Supreme Court jury in Brisbane.

Michael Brack died after being stabbed in the neck with a kitchen knife after trying to sell $160 of cannabis to Ryan Howes.

The prosecution claimed Mr Howes intentionally stabbed the teenager because he thought Mr Brack was backing out of the drug deal.

The 23-year-old successfully argued his actions were in self-defence because he heard the click of what he believed to be a gun.

It took the jury about one day to reach its unanimous decision.

Prosecutor Glen Cash told the court Mr Howes stabbed the teenager with a kitchen knife, which almost severed an artery.

Mr Cash said the teenager bled to death "in a matter of minutes".

During the trial, the court heard Michael's friends drove away from the scene because they were in fear of Mr Howes trying to get into the vehicle.

Mr Howes was arrested by police in a roof cavity, where he was found hiding days after the teenager's death.

Topics: murder-and-manslaughter, courts-and-trials, brisbane-4000, bundall-4217, qld

First posted March 20, 2018 16:04:21