Anna Guy says despite a jury finding her former husband not guilty of killing her brother, she still doesn’t know if they made the right decision.
Ewen Macdonald was found not guilty of murdering his business partner Scott Guy during a month-long murder trial in Wellington earlier this year. The case became one of the most publicised trials in New Zealand’s history.
In an exclusive interview with TV3’s 60 Minutes, Ms Guy says she still has so many unanswered questions about the murder and her past life with Macdonald.
She says she can’t give a definite answer on whether the jury made the right decision.
“Really, I don’t know,” she says. “They are the ones that sat in day after day, hour after hour, and listened to it all – not me.”
Ms Guy says she also has no answer for who else would have wanted to kill Scott.
“Well exactly,” she says. “I just don’t know. I can’t answer that.”
Ms Guy was married to Macdonald for 10 years and has four children with him. But she says despite a lengthy relationship, their marriage was full of secrets and lies.
“Ewen and I led separate lives”
In the years prior to Scott’s death, she says they drifted apart and led separate lives.
“I think Ewen and I did lead separate lives a little. We were great flatmates and great as a team but we were more separate than together,” she says.
“He would do his own things and I would do my own things.”
Among Macdonald’s separate ventures were a series of illegal “missions” with farmhand Callum Boe.
Two of the crimes were targeted at Scott and his wife Kylee who were settling down on the family farm.
Macdonald burnt down an old farmhouse on the back of removal trucks at the site where Scott and Kylee’s new house would be built. Then, once the new house had been completed, Macdonald took to it with an axe, causing thousands of dollars in damage. He then painted obscene messages on the exterior targeted at Kylee.
Macdonald also poached deer on a nearby farm and upon being caught, sought revenge by burning down an historic farm lodge, hammering 19 calves to death and emptying 16,000 litres of milk.
Macdonald was sentenced to five years in prison earlier this month for his part in the crimes.
Ewen needs counselling, says Anna
Ms Guy says until last year, when Macdonald was arrested for murder, she had no knowledge of the crimes.
“That’s a little bit scaring thinking that you were lying there asleep while the person next to you is plotting,” she says.
Ms Guy says looking back at her marriage she can see it was unhealthy. She says Macdonald was controlling and had two different personalities.
She says tensions on the farm poisoned Macdonald and he began to withdraw from the family.
“I think it started to consume him and that’s all he thought about and that’s how he didn’t think about me and the kids. He got swept up with the whole farm thing, got stressed keeping it to himself,” she says.
Ms Guys says Macdonald has deep-seated psychological issues and should seek therapy.
“I think he needs to see someone. You don’t just do what he did. Not even as fun. That’s not fun. It’s crazy.”
Giving evidence at murder trial was “horrific”
Macdonald stood trial for the murder of Scott in July this year. Ms Guy says giving evidence in court was harrowing and one of the most challenging experiences of her life.
“Having to look over and see the person that you married and you are being asked questions about him maybe killing your brother, it was pretty horrific.
“It’s just really hard to go back and think about that because every day I just try not to have to think about it because it is such an awful thing to go through,” says Ms Guy.
She says it was difficult dealing with rumours about Macdonald leading up to the trial.
“I have heard quite a few rumours - some very funny,” she says.
One of the more prevalent ones was that Macdonald was gay and Scott found out.
“I mean anything is possible (laughs). They just get more and more ridiculous really,” she says.
Macdonald was eventually acquitted of Scott’s murder. As the not guilty verdict was read, Kylee ran from the courtroom screaming that he killed her husband.
Ms Guy says the trial brought little closure and she won’t be at peace until Scott’s killer is held to account and locked away.
“It has to end somehow. I think we are worse off. We have been through this horrific trial and had to dissect our lives in front of New Zealand and we still don’t know,” she says.
3 News
source: newshub archive
