Alex Dion found guilty of murdering Mario Phetmang, found dead by the side of Homebush Bay Drive

A verdict has been handed down in the trial of a man accused of murdering a man before dumping his plastic-wrapped body on a busy highway.

A man has been found guilty of murdering Wachira “Mario” Phetmang after arguing in court that his housemate did it and he just dumped the body.

Alex Dion, 40, faced trial in the NSW Supreme Court two and a half years after Mr Phetmang’s bloodied body was discovered wrapped in plastic along Homebush Bay Drive on June 6, 2018.

A truck driver made the grisly discovery by chance as he set out cones after a breakdown along the busy Sydney road near Olympic Park.

A post mortem examination uncovered splintering of bones in Mr Phetmang’s head, which had been inflicted with up to 27 blunt-force blows and bore wounds stretching up to 17cm long.

The Crown alleged Dion attacked Mr Phetmang, 33, after they met to do a drug deal at a 7-Eleven in Hurstville on May 25, 2018.

Alex Dion was found guilty of murder. Picture: Dylan Coker

The meeting was captured on CCTV, showing Dion trying and failing three time to withdraw cash from an ATM before leaving the store with Mr Phetmang.

It was the last time the Thai national was seen alive.

His red and blue hat, glasses and black coat were found in a rainwater tank at a building site in East Killara where Dion had previously worked, the court heard.

In the following days, Dion left for the United States and was extradited back to Australia to face trial in April 2019.

Wachira ‘Mario’ Phetmang’s body was discovered on the side of the road at Sydney Olympic Park.

Dion pleaded not guilty, arguing his housemate had killed Mr Phetmang and he had simply helped out by dumping the body.

His housemate gave evidence in the trial, denying this version of events.

Mr Phetmang’s loved ones were in court to see the jury deliver a guilty verdict on Thursday afternoon.

Dion will return to court for a sentence hearing on May 14.

Originally published as Alex Dion found guilty of murdering Mario Phetmang, found dead by the side of Homebush Bay Drive