A SUNSHINE Coast woman has been found not guilty of the murder or manslaughter of her violent husband who subjected her to 18 years of abuse until his disappearance more than a decade ago.

A Brisbane Supreme Court jury deliberated for less than two days before finding Michele Irsigler, 44, not guilty to slaying her husband Jonathon Watkins on July 25 , 2001.

However, the jury found Ms Irsigler and her two accomplices, Russell Graham Pilkington, 52, and her current partner Jason Scott Bundesen, 40, guilty of interfering with a corpse.

Justice Debra Mullins said the not guilty verdict indicated the jury had accepted Irsigler shot and killed Watkins in self-defence.

The jury had been told Irsigler killed her husband after being held hostage at their family home for three days.

Irsigler shot her husband twice, rolled his body up in a rug and loaded it into the boot of her car with the help of Pilkington between 9am and 11am.

The pair then drove to Bundesen's property at Witta, where Watkins' body was doused with diesel and set alight along with the gun on a "fire stack" prepared earlier by Bundesen.

Prosecutor David Meredith, in sentencing submissions, said Bundesen used a "very effective way to dispose" of Watkins' remains - using a bulldozer to spread his cremated remains.

At the beginning of the trial almost two weeks ago, Irsigler pleaded not guilty to murdering her husband and to interfering with a corpse.

Pilkington and Bundesen pleaded not guilty to lesser charges of either interfering with a corpse, accessory to manslaughter or accessory to murder.

Mr Meredith, in his opening, said Irsigler told police her husband was "a bastard" who treated her "like a piece of dirt" but questioned whether she had truly feared for her life when she allegedly gunned Watkins down in their loungeroom.

Mr Meredith submitted the trio all played an equal role in interfering with Watkins corpse, by either moving or disposing of it.

He said while the jury accepted Irsigler acted in self-defence, the disposal of his body had caused years of torment for Watkins' family and friends who did not know where he had gone to or what had happened to him.

The Crown submitted the trio should be sentenced to 12 months jail, but the terms be wholly suspended.

Justice Mullins agreed, ordering the prison terms be suspended for terms of between 12 months, for Pilkington, and 18 months for Irsliger and Bundesen.

She said it was accepted Irsigler felt she had to dispose of her husband's body fearing no one would believe she acted in self-defence.

"(But), those who knew Mr Watkins believed he had just gone away and they had to endure the agony of not knowing (where he was)," she said.

Outside of court Irsigler's solicitor, Adam Magill, said: "She is elated with the result, although it has been a very trying time for her, her family and friends."

Irsigler declined to comment.