WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. (AP) – A man charged with killing his best friend at a drunken birthday party has been found guilty by a jury.

After 2 hours of deliberations Thursday, jurors in Vermont District Court convicted Matthew Stevens, 47, of second-degree murder in the 2006 death of Carl Ackley in South Reading.

Originally, Stevens was charged with first-degree murder, but his lawyer, David Sleigh, told jurors that Stevens – who was extremely drunk when the shooting occurred – didn’t plan it ahead of time.

Stevens was in a “thick fog of alcohol impairment” when he shot Ackley after Ackley had threatened him, Sleigh said. “Two drunken buddies somehow had a blowout,” Sleigh said.

The two men were longtime friends when Stevens decided to hold a birthday party for Ackley on Aug. 1, 2006.

Five hours later, Stevens grabbed a gun from his trailer and shot Ackley to death on the front steps before admitting what he’d done in a tearful 911 call, police said.

Ackley, who turned 44 the day he died, was shot once in the neck and died at the scene.

Stevens faces a possible sentence of 20 years to life without parole, said Windsor County State’s Attorney Robert Sand, who said he was not surprised by the verdict.

“It’s the jury’s response to the evidence,” he said.

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Information from: Rutland Herald, http://www.rutlandherald.com/

AP-ES-12-02-07 1438EST