21 Jun 2012

Wife questioned Ewen Macdonald over vandalism

7:34 am on 21 June 2012

The wife of Ewen Macdonald has told of pushing him for answers about why he vandalised and set fire to the property of Feilding farmer Scott Guy.

Ewen Macdonald is on trial at the High Court at Wellington charged with murdering Mr Guy, his 31 year-old brother-in-law, on 8 July 2010.

Mr Macdonald has admitted torching an old homestead which was to be removed to free up land for the Guys' new home, then damaging the new home and spray-painting abuse on it.

Following his arrest for murder, Anna Macdonald told the court she asked her husband how he could hate someone enough to commit the arson and vandalism.

"And he said 'I didn't hate them, it was just bit of fun really, and just to annoy them.'"

Missing puppies

The court heard on Wednesday that Scott Guy's family was asked to keep quiet about puppies that disappeared at the time he was killed.

Seven chocolate labrador puppies from a litter of eight were still on Scott and Kylee Guy's property when Mr Guy died.

The night after the shooting, Ewen Macdonald fed the puppies and after doing so rang police to tell them only four had been in the enclosure.

Mr Guy's sister, Nikki Guy, told the court that Mr Macdonald told the family police had said they should not tell anyone about the missing puppies.

The jury heard police went to great lengths to find the three puppies.

Defence lawyer Greg King said he had received about 15 Eastlight folders containing material about the missing puppies and Detective Sergeant Graham Perks agreed a lot of effort had been put into finding them.

The Crown says Mr Macdonald removed the puppies himself to make the killing look like a burglary gone wrong.