Jimmy Melvin Jr. has been found not guilty of first-degree murder.
Melvin had been accused in the 2009 shooting death of Terry Marriott Jr. while he slept at a friend's home in Harrietsfield, N.S.
The jury deliberated for nearly two days before handing down its verdict in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax.
Melvin still faces a charge of attempting to kill Marriott in December of 2008.