Schizophrenic son of slain Aussie football coach cleared of his father's murder

The son of late Australian football coach Phil Walsh has been found not guilty of his father's murder on grounds of mental incompetence, an Adelaide court has heard on Wednesday.

Cy Walsh, son of the late Phil, had been accused of the stabbing murder of his father in their family home.

Phil was coach of one of Australia's largest football clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) at the time of his death in July 2015.

27-year-old Cy Walsh was on Wednesday cleared of murder by South Australian Supreme Court Justice Anne Bampton, who said Cy was not guilty by reason of mental incompetence.

"I find he was suffering from a psychotic episode as a result of schizophrenia, which at the time of the conduct was undiagnosed," Bampton said on Wednesday.

According to forensic reports, Cy Walsh was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the murder, but Bampton said it was beyond reasonable doubt that he was in an altered mental state.

Despite the "not guilty" ruling, Bampton ordered Cy Walsh to be subjected to mental health supervision for the remainder of his life, while Fairfax Media reported he is likely to spend some time at an Adelaide mental health facility following the ruling.

Also on Wednesday, a statement from Phil Walsh's wife and Cy's mother Meredith was read to the court.

"My heart remains broken. My daughter is also shattered," the statement said.

"We now all live the devastating consequences of a mental illness that was not understood.

"I will continue to love and support my son as his father has always done."

Phil Walsh led the Adelaide Crows - one of Australia's largest football clubs - to a seven win, five loss record during his time as coach. Despite losing their coach, the team made to the finals at the end of the year. As a player, he played 122 matches in the Australian Football League from 1983 until 1990. Endit