Chance Loftis is set to be freed from jail on Monday after a Criminal Court jury on Friday afternoon found him guilty of only a minor charge.
Instead of murder in the death of 46-year-old Donald Rogers, the jury in the courtroom of Judge Don Poole found him guilty of the lesser charge of reckless endangerment.
He was found not guilty of aggravated animal cruelty in the beating and drowning death of the victim's dog Braxton.
Attorney Mary Sullivan Moore said she will likely ask for an OR bond, and Judge Poole said he will likely grant that bond or something similar.
Loftis, who opted not to take the witness stand, has been in jail since shortly after the April 24, 2012, death on the river near Johnson Road.
His co-defendant, Travis Jenkins, took the stand and blamed both deaths on Loftis.
There will be a later sentencing hearing, but reckless endangerment is a misdemeanor carrying only up to 11 months and 29 days in jail.
The jury of nine women and three men deliberated for almost seven hours.
The mother and step-father of Rogers, who sat through the entire two-week trial, left quickly after the verdict was announced.
No family members for Loftis attended the trial.
The defense called forensics expert Dr. Ronald Keith Wright, who said he did not believe the victim died from repeated blows to the face and head.
He said it was possible that he had fallen in his aluminum fishing boat and struck his neck on the boat.
County Medical Examiner Dr. James Metcalfe said the victim's neck was broken by manual strangulation. Dr. Wright said he disagreed.
The expert from Florida also said it was possible that the victim drowned.
The sister of a former Loftis girlfriend earlier told the jury that Loftis was "well-mannered and very polite," while co-defendant Travis Jenkins was a bully, a drug addict and a woman beater."
Stacy Fields said Loftis stayed at her house for a couple of weeks before going to live with Jenkins just prior to the incident.
She said Jenkins was not welcome at her home and he never came there.
Jenkins said he accepted a standing invitation from Rogers to go out on the river with him, noting he wanted to get away from home after a family ruckus involving him, his mother and his girlfriend.
He said Rogers was intoxicated and began driving the boat recklessly, finally getting it stuck on a tree late in the night.