The jury took less than six hours to reach the finding, delivering the verdict about 10am.  

Willis and his mother and father, who were also present in the courtroom, showed no emotion, while Mr Ganly’s family wept and embraced. 

The jury did not agree with Willis' defence submission that he should be found guilty of the lesser crime of defensive homicide. 

While conceding he shot and killed Mr Ganly on or around April 28, 2013, Willis claimed he did so in self-defence. 

But the jury found Willis guilty of shooting Mr Ganly once in the back of the head, without any fear for his own safety. 

He then dumped Mr Ganly's car and body in the Avoca lead dredge in Homebush Road, Avoca.

Mr Ganly, 48, had been missing for about eight months when his car and body was pulled from the flooded mine on January 19 last year. 

Outside court, Mr Ganly’s elderly mother Veronica Ganly said the family could finally get some closure. 

“This is a very sad moment for each family involved in this crime,” she said. 

“But at least we got our boy back, we finally found out where he was … and that has meant a lot.” 

Willis' motive for murdering Mr Ganly has never been known, with the self-defence claim based around a belief Mr Ganly had threatened him after he couldn't supply the drug dealer with a gun he wanted. 

Willis claimed Mr Ganly became aggressive towards him shortly before he shot him, threatening to send bikies to Willis' front door the next morning. 

But prosecutors told the jury Willis had "lied through his teeth" to police from the beginning.  

"His default position in this case is to lie," Crown prosecutor Daryl Brown told the jury in his closing address. 

He said Willis only admitted to shooting Mr Ganly after police found his body, believing for some time he'd got away with the murder. 

Mr Ganly’s sister Suzan Ganly said no one would ever know why her brother was killed. 

“He (Willis) has just lied and lied,” she said. 

Willis will be sentenced by Justice Robert Osborn at a date to be fixed.