The family of Cape Breton fisherman Philip Boudreau is speaking out after a man was found guilty of manslaughter in his death.

Joseph James Landry, 67, of Little Anse, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Boudreau’s death. He was found guilty on a lesser charge of manslaughter on Saturday.

Boudreau’s sister says it wasn’t the verdict they were expecting.

“I’m feeling a little sad because we didn’t get the verdict we were expecting,” says Margaret Rose Boudreau. “We were expecting second-degree murder, but I’m happy he didn’t walk away. If he had of walked away, that would have been different.”

Boudreau, 43, was last seen by his brother near the Petit de Grat wharf on June 1, 2013. His body has never been found.

The court heard that Boudreau took his speedboat out on the water that morning and it was found overturned without its motor by a local fisherman about an hour later.

Crown attorney Steve Drake told the jury his death was the result of a sustained attack by a three-man lobster fishing crew that included Landry -- one of four people charged in the case.

Drake said the Twin Maggies rammed Boudreau's boat three times at the mouth of Petit de Grat harbour and that Landry fired four shots from a rifle, one of which hit Boudreau in the leg.

Boudreau's boat overturned after it was rammed the third time and he was then hooked with a gaff and dragged out to sea, Drake said.

Videotaped interviews played during his trial heard Landry initially tell police he shot and rammed Boudreau's boat after he cut his lobster traps and threatened to set his house on fire.

At first, Landry maintained his innocence but later changes his story, saying he fired a rifle at Boudreau four times and intended to kill him, adding he took the wheel of the Twin Maggies and ran over his boat.

"I wanted to destroy him," says Landry, who accused Boudreau of taunting him for years. "I was seeing black. I was so mad."

The ten-day trial has divided the small fishing community. Andre LeBlanc has lived in Petit de Grat his whole life and says the community still hasn’t healed.

“When the verdict came in I think there was surprise,” says LeBlanc. “The community is definitely split over it, there’s no doubt about that, but I think we need to trust in what these 12 men and women have decided.”

Margaret Rose Boudreau says she looks out at the spot where she last saw her brother alive every day.

She is disappointed in the manslaughter conviction because she feels there was enough evidence to convict Landry of second-degree murder. The decision has her questioning whether murder suspects should be tried by a jury.

“I didn’t feel, in a murder trial, the public should not have the choice and they don’t have the education for a murder trial. It should be based on the judge’s opinion because he knows the law. Us, as a public, we know nothing about the law,” she says.

“I’m just hoping none of them walk away.”

Three other people are facing charges in connection with Boudreau’s death. Craig Landry, who is Joseph James Landry's third cousin, was previously charged with second-degree murder but that was withdrawn. He now faces a charge of accessory after the fact.

The captain of the Twin Maggies, Dwayne Matthew Samson of D'Escousse, also faces a second-degree murder charge. His wife Carla Samson, who owns the lobster boat, faces a charge of accessory after the fact. She is also the daughter of Joseph James Landry.

They have yet to stand trial.

Joseph James Landry has been remanded to the Cape Breton Correctional Centre in Sydney. He is due back in court for sentencing on Jan. 29.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kyle Moore and The Canadian Press