A jury in the High Court at Dunedin this afternoon unanimously found Venod Skantha (32) was responsible for the murder of 16-year-old Amber-Rose Rush after three hours of deliberation.
Skantha was also convicted on four counts of threatening to kill.
Skantha looked down briefly before the jury foreman delivered the verdicts but stood dispassionately as they were read.
He was remanded in custody until March 6 for sentencing.
Justice Gerald Nation thanked the jurors for applying themselves to the "difficult and demanding responsibility" they had, before discharging them.
Once Skantha was led to the cells downstairs, tearful members of Amber-Rose's family embraced in the public gallery.
Amber-Rose's father Shane Rush addressed media outside court surrounded by family members.
He thanked police, the judge and jury for "the time and effort it took to get some justice for our beautiful young girl".
"This has been such a horrendous time for us all," Mr Rush said.
"The taking of Amber-Rose's life has affected our family in every way. Two family members are now gone and everyone else now has to find a way to move on."
Defence counsel Jonathan Eaton QC would not comment on whether there would be an appeal forthcoming.
Amber-Rose was found by her mother stabbed to death in the bed of her Corstorphine home on the morning of February 3 last year.
Shortly afterwards, police saw an online conversation which put the junior doctor to the forefront of their investigation.
During the evening of February 2, Skantha had messaged the victim about a payment on his credit card for which he thought she may be responsible.
Amber-Rose reacted angrily and questioned the defendant about molesting teenagers, offering them money for sex and plying them with alcohol.
She later posted a screenshot of the conversation, including her allegations, on Instagram.
Just minutes before her death. Amber-Rose confirmed she was serious about taking her complaints to police and Skantha's superiors at Dunedin Hospital.
The court heard he was on a final warning at the time after turning up to a work meeting after consuming beers and treating a patient while off duty and in a “highly emotional” state.
He killed Amber-Rose, the Crown said, to protect his medical career.
“It's not only his job that's at stake, it's his liberty,” prosecutor Robin Bates said. “A rooster to a feather duster overnight.”
Alongside the allegations of indecently assaulting Amber-Rose, there were other teenage girls who gave evidence during the trial of sexual impropriety.
While defence counsel Jonathan Eaton QC said it served no other purpose than to “blacken the character” of his client, the Crown said it proved the defendant would have known there was force behind the victim's threats.
Once the online conversation with Amber-Rose ended, Skantha picked up a 16-year-old friend who then drove him to Clermiston Ave.
The Crown said the doctor must have taken the knife as part of his “master plan” to silence the girl.
Amber-Rose sustained six wounds to her neck, one of which was caused her to bleed to death, a pathologist told the jury.
He emerged from the house, the Crown's key witness said, carrying a bloody knife and the victim's phone and driver's licence.
Skantha tried to smash the phone on the pavement before they left the scene.
It was later discarded at Blackhead Quarry where police found it a few days later.
The witness said he was ordered to clean the doctor's silver BMW while the man put his clothes in a bag.
Despite that, Amber-Rose's blood was found in the passenger side of the vehicle and on Skantha's shoes, which the teenager said he deliberately left for the police.
The pair then travelled to the defendant's ex-girlfriend's house in Balclutha.
CCTV showed them the next day buying a large plant pot and other items from The Warehouse.
In it, Skantha burned the bloody garments.
Later, he threatened to kill his teenage associate, family members and his cat if he disclosed what had happened.
That was repeated when he dropped the boy home on February 4.
When he was arrested by police later that day, he denied any involvement in Amber-Rose's killing or stopping at her house two days earlier.
Unbeknown to him, his teenage friend had earlier told officers the entire story.
