The Guy verdict

The jury has found Ewen Macdonald not guilty of the murder of Scott Guy, his brother-in-law.

I am not surprised with the verdict, as the prosecution was circumstantial and there was no direct proof.

Having said that, my view is that on balance of probabilities Macdonald probably did it. Not guilty just means not guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The timing of the killing at 5 am makes it incredibly unlikely to be a random killing, and Macdonald’s history of criminal acts against Guy was persuasive, but not obviously beyond reasonable doubt.

Macdonald has avoided a life sentence. But I suspect he will not be attending any Christmas parties with the Guy family in the future.

My thoughts go out especially to the Guy family. It must be awful for them, not to have a conclusion to Scott’s murder.