Shane Rush, the father of Amber-Rose Rush, reads a statement outside the High Court at Dunedin after Venod Skantha was found guilty of her murder.

The grieving family of slain teen Amber-Rose Rush have talked of the pain of losing the loved 16-year-old and her mother.

Amber-Rose's relatives, many of whom wore T-shirts bearing her image, hugged in court when Dr Venod Skantha was led back into the cells of the High Court in Dunedin after being found guilty of murder on Wednesday evening.

In stark contrast to the victim's responses, the 32-year-old Dunedin doctor gave no emotion when the jury deemed he had murdered Amber-Rose in her home on February 2 last year.

SUPPLIED Amber-Rose Rush, 16, was found dead in her Dunedin home in February 2018.

He was also found guilty of four charges of threatening to kill. The jury took just over three hours to reach their decision.

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Shane Rush, Amber-Rose's father, spoke of the "horrendous time" the family had experienced.

John Kirk-Anderson/Stuff Venod Skantha is on trial for the murder of Dunedin teenager Amber-Rose Rush.

"The taking of Amber-Rose's life has affected us in every way. Two family members are now gone, and everyone else has to find a way to move on."

Amber-Rose's mother, Lisa-Ann Rush, died in a suspected suicide just months after discovering her beloved daughter's body.

The family thanked police "for all their hard work", along with the judge, the jury and prosecution for their time spent delivering justice "for our beautiful young hero".

Hamish McNeilly/Stuff Relatives of slain teen Amber-Rose Rush leave the High Court at Dunedin after making a brief statement on Wednesday evening.

Justice Gerald Nation noted "it has been a long trial". The case was heard over nearly four weeks and involved more than 1000 pages of evidence and dozens of witnesses.

Several members of the jury were visibly upset after the verdicts were delivered.

The judge convicted Skantha and remanded him in custody for sentencing on March 6.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Justice Gerald Nation in the High Court in Dunedin.

Skantha, wearing a maroon jumper, was also given a warning under the three strikes law for violent offenders.

His lawyer, Jonathan Eaton QC, declined to comment outside court.

Police said they would comment after sentencing.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Prosecutor Robin Bates arrives at court on the opening day of the murder trial for Venod Skantha. The Crown is delivering their closing arguments on Tuesday.

Justice Nation earlier said Amber-Rose was killed in a "cold-blooded and efficient execution".

The Crown alleged Skantha needed to silence Amber-Rose after she posted a series of messages between the pair on Instagram, which would have ended his already faltering medical career.

The defence argued that was an extreme position, as those allegations were not a concern for Skantha.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Defence counsel Jonathan Eaton QC says the police had "blinkers on" while investigating Amber-Rose's death.

They argued the key witness, who idolised Skantha, was involved in her death in an effort to save his medical career for him.

The judge earlier reminded the jury they needed to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Skantha killed Amber-Rose, and that he had made threats to kill.

If the jury decided the witness was an accomplice, it did not mean they had to acquit Skantha.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF The Dunedin house where Amber-Rose was killed.

The jury were urged to assess the honesty and reliability of witnesses, the facts established and the "inferences you can draw from that".

THE CASE AGAINST VENOD SKANTHA

Skantha, who was on a final warning at Dunedin Hospital, had everything to lose, prosecutor Robin Bates told the High Court of Dunedin on Tuesday morning.

But defence counsel Jonathan Eaton QC, pointed the finger at the Crown's teenage star witness, who has name suppression.

"He is the person who is at the heart of this case," Eaton said before a packed gallery later that afternoon.

"I suggest he would do anything to protect Venod Skantha," Eaton said.

He described the police approach to the key witness as "blinkered".

Eaton urged the jury to acquit Skantha if they doubted the evidence of a witness, who described himself as a "compulsive liar" in his police interviews.

The Crown alleged Skantha, who was driven to Amber-Rose's Corstorphine home by the teen witness, entered the 16-year-old's home with a spare key, then stabbed her with a knife he brought from his home.

Amber-Rose was stabbed multiple times in the back of her neck.

"The person who did this, was really, really angry," Bates said.

He said Skantha knew to target Amber-Rose's carotid artery and windpipe, as it was "all part of his training" as a doctor.

The attack was not some "random clumsy attempt", but a focused attack designed to silence Amber-Rose.

Bates said the killer was "hellbent on getting rid of the contents of [Amber-Rose's] phone", and that evidence pointed to one person: Venod Skantha. The jury agreed.