Guy Murder

[Rooboy 1]

No thread on this and I'm wondering if we are allowed to pass comment?

For what it's worth I think Ewan MacDonald most likely committed the crime. I base this on his actions and how his personality has been described.

However I would also agree that the jury probably could not convict him on the evidence presented.

[globederby 8]

The police have in the preceding two years not found any evidence(that we know of) to indicate any other person who may have been involved in Scotts murder. Nothing. Thats strange .

The defence would not allow McDonald to take the stand. That was a clever move to protect their butts,because he might have contradicted previous testimony under stress, and the crown would have tried to pull him apart.

My gut feeling is that somewhere in the future we might be revisiting this case again.

[ziggy09 384]

The police have in the preceding two years not found any evidence(that we know of) to indicate any other person who may have been involved in Scotts murder. Nothing. Thats strange .

The defence would not allow McDonald to take the stand. That was a clever move to protect their butts,because he might have contradicted previous testimony under stress, and the crown would have tried to pull him apart.

My gut feeling is that somewhere in the future we might be revisiting this case again.

Yeah agree GD ......Interesting comments from the Police that they wont be actively revisiting this unless new evidence comes to hand. I suppose they can't really can they? I see that McDonalds brother is a local detective (news released today)....must have been tough for that family when you think about it.

[richie 1,027]

The police have in the preceding two years not found any evidence(that we know of) to indicate any other person who may have been involved in Scotts murder. Nothing. Thats strange .

QUOTE]

Not really strange.As if they thought they had the murderer they wouldnt have been looking for evidence that anybody else was involved.

[Rooboy 1]

That's been the the criticism in a number of these cases over the past five years. Usually made by the Defence, in particular, that the Police have narrowed their search to soon and not looked for or chosen to ignore other possibilities and evidence.

I must say that the Police record of success in recent high profile trials has not been that flash. they must be getting a bit despondent.

[tasman man 742]

.....appear to be committed by Family or someone quite close.

This murderer seemed to know the time and place to do the deed ,and with the right Gun.

The Accused had already carried out some serious criminal acts on the victim with the House damage.

He forgot there that 2 people can keep a secret , only if one is dead.

Folk planning to kill a family member,and get away with it, will take hope from this case....better still if one has a paper run !!!!

[globederby 8]

.....appear to be committed by Family or someone quite close.

This murderer seemed to know the time and place to do the deed ,and with the right Gun.

The Accused had already carried out some serious criminal acts on the victim with the House damage.

He forgot there that 2 people can keep a secret , only if one is dead.

Folk planning to kill a family member,and get away with it, will take hope from this case....better still if one has a paper run !!!!

Not far from the mark Garry

[Centrofold 147]

Of course you can comment but just be careful how you phrase what you say.

For example do not say "Ewen killed Scott" unless you can prove as much.

What you can say is that "you thought Ewen looked guilty" or that "Ewen had the motive and the resources to kill Scott", because both those statements can be seen to be true, or an accurate observation.

My tuppence worth is that the Police should have either searched for and found more evidence, or never charged him.

It's awfully like Arthur Alan Thomas isn't it in the sense that a person may appear to be the killer, has motive, method etc..but plod then works backwards trying to find clues to fit their perceived conclusion.

Tough job being a cop.

I think the defence was 'top notch'. There was enough reasonable doubt that the outcome could not have been any different.

[Centrofold 147]

Has anyone ever sat on a jury trial? One thing I found interesting is that the jurors very rarely all agree.

[DC7 1]

Has anyone ever sat on a jury trial? One thing I found interesting is that the jurors very rarely all agree.

Yes. We had two guys being charged, were unanimous that one was guilty and it started out about 8:4 in favour of the other guy being guilty. The 4 of us against managed to convince the other 8 and the second guy got off. It was a drugs trial.

[faye 0]

You can tell plenty by body language !!!

also the cops don't tell the public ALL they know !

[fermoy 226]

The police have in the preceding two years not found any evidence(that we know of) to indicate any other person who may have been involved in Scotts murder. Nothing. Thats strange .

The defence would not allow McDonald to take the stand. That was a clever move to protect their butts,because he might have contradicted previous testimony under stress, and the crown would have tried to pull him apart.

My gut feeling is that somewhere in the future we might be revisiting this case again.

yes they have!!the cigarette packet found at the scene the same brand as stolen in palmy the night before,the car seen by the river at the back of the guy farm a few days before the murder and sufficiently suspicious to make scott guy ring the police about and seen driving past where he was killed the same morning and the driver of which never came forward,the size 11 or 12 footprints around guys body,the stolen puppies?????plenty of evidence to suggest someone else i would have thought,if you had an open mind!!!!

[Centrofold 147]

Whether you like or agree with the decision, you have to defend the trial process we have.

Without it, we are just a rabid bunch of gossipers

The jury were presented all the evidence that was available.

What's the alternative, trial by public opinion?

I've heard people say he is guilty because of his body language. Now wouldn't that be a great system of dishing out justice.

I am definately in the camp of supporting our justice system. Even if I have sat on a couple of cases where the jurors have not all agreed. What I found suprising was the people can be given the same "facts" and come out with a different point of view. No wonder the judge instructs the jurors on what the law is. People can't find a person quilty or not guilty because people think they are scholars in body language. How often have we heard people debate the outcome of lie detecting tests? If they were 100% accurate they would be used in court but I am reasonably confident they are not as accurate as they are claimed to be.

[Blue 1,095]

yes they have!!the cigarette packet found at the scene the same brand as stolen in palmy the night before,the car seen by the river at the back of the guy farm a few days before the murder and sufficiently suspicious to make scott guy ring the police about and seen driving past where he was killed the same morning and the driver of which never came forward,the size 11 or 12 footprints around guys body,the stolen puppies?????plenty of evidence to suggest someone else i would have thought,if you had an open mind!!!!

Maybe, but the cops had something like 64 possible suspects and gradually through elimination by robberies, drugs, possible extra-marital liaisons etc etc, finally narrowed it down to ONE with time, motive and opportunity plus the theft and house ransacking. You obviously know what I think.

[myk 4]

yes they have!!the cigarette packet found at the scene the same brand as stolen in palmy the night before,the car seen by the river at the back of the guy farm a few days before the murder and sufficiently suspicious to make scott guy ring the police about and seen driving past where he was killed the same morning and the driver of which never came forward,the size 11 or 12 footprints around guys body,the stolen puppies?????plenty of evidence to suggest someone else i would have thought,if you had an open mind!!!!

I thought I read he found not guilty,leave it at that.Without the ex farm worker admitting other crimes with McDonald,in arson etc,wat was his motive in admitting his part.A lighter sentence than McDonald will recieve,bail,free from being charged with murder.Maybe one the lookout,one pulling the trigger,the cows standing alone in shed for 5 minutes?Its all it would have taken between the two IF they or either were involved.

[Rooboy 1]

.....appear to be committed by Family or someone quite close.

This murderer seemed to know the time and place to do the deed ,and with the right Gun.

The Accused had already carried out some serious criminal acts on the victim with the House damage.

He forgot there that 2 people can keep a secret , only if one is dead.

Folk planning to kill a family member,and get away with it, will take hope from this case....better still if one has a paper run !!!!

You allude to the Bain case Tasman Man and there are some similarities, besides both having been found not guilty. The most notable is the size of the shoe/sock prints. Disputing the print size was a key defence tactic in both trials. Then there was the time of the murder, with witnesses in both trials being called to give evidence, casting doubt about the accused being at the murder scene at the time of the murders. Plus the defence in both cases chose not to call the accused.

However, of the two cases the MacDonald verdict sits easier with me than the Bain verdict did.

1.To my knowledge there was no evidence deemed inadmissible at the MacDonald trial.

2. Anyone alluded too as a possible alternative murderer in the MacD trial is still alive to defend themselves.

3. At no stage has Ewan MacDonald altered his story about what he was doing around the time of the murder.

4.To my knowledge, no jurors were seen laughing among themselves during the trial, nor attended the Defence teams celebration drinks after the MacDonald trial.

The MacDonald trial appeared to be an "all cards on the table", "what you see is what you get" affair, whereas the (latest) Bain trial appeared to be a circus, full of tricks and PR spin.

[Sighted 24]

More serious charges are pending but the jury members weren't allowed to know what they are. Well, we'll see.

[Magoo 0]

was a couple of other people coming forward to say that it might have been mistaken identity and they were the possible target - I thought this must be an interesting area to live in.

I also think the jury arrived at the only possible conclusion with the facts presented in the trial - plenty of reasonable doubt.

[myk 4]

More serious charges are pending but the jury members weren't allowed to know what they are. Well, we'll see.

May concern pups?

[Rooboy 1]

yes they have!!the cigarette packet found at the scene the same brand as stolen in palmy the night before,the car seen by the river at the back of the guy farm a few days before the murder and sufficiently suspicious to make scott guy ring the police about and seen driving past where he was killed the same morning and the driver of which never came forward,the size 11 or 12 footprints around guys body,the stolen puppies?????plenty of evidence to suggest someone else i would have thought,if you had an open mind!!!!

I have an open mind Fermoy, but for me I lean strongly on motive and personality.

I recognise there was a farm worker with a big mouth and a chip on his shoulder. Seen that heaps of time in the workplace, but they're just big mouths and none of those guys ever killed anyone. Yeah there were cigarette packets discarded and sedans seen driving around. However my open mind keeps bringing me back to motive, to personality, to bitterness that eats away at you, to actions completely at odds with a persons public face, a darker, calculating side. Of becoming ever bolder due to having a history of sneaking around at night committing crimes and always getting away with it.

My open mind looks at history. A man who was seen to quietly manipulate, a neighbours prize stags stolen and killed out of jealousy, brother in laws house torched just as it's about to be sold for profit, brother in laws new house extensively vandalised, graffetti designed to cause terror in a woman.

Ewan MacDonald told Police "I'm not a psycho". I'd say "Really!"

You keep watching your boot prints and cigarette packets Fermoy and I'll keep watching the man, his personality and his past actions.

[Centrofold 147]

Unless people have sat on the jury and listened to ALL OF THE FACTS presented (and that does not mean what has been reported in the media) I can't understand why anyone would be confident the right decision in this case was not made.

[tasman man 742]

Unless people have sat on the jury and listened to ALL OF THE FACTS presented (and that does not mean what has been reported in the media) I can't understand why anyone would be confident the right decision in this case was not made.

What are the qualifications needed ??

Beyond reasonable doubt , can anyone be sure unless they were there etc etc.

In this case the accused proved himself to be a pretty good criminal.

He has now admitted to some well thought out crimes.....stealing and killing neighbours deer ,torching one house and taking to another with an axe.

These crimes were well 'executed' and had he not had an accomplice , he would have been 'scott-free'.

He denied them , until he knew the game was up.

His only mistake was not to realise that 2 people can keep a secret ONLY if one is dead.

He seemed to have a nice family and close home life , but was still able to 'risk' this with his damage and written threats to his 'family'.And he denied it when caught......mmmmm

When he gets out ,I hope he doesn't move down this way , and I trust they will keep him away from guns and hunting etc.....I don't trust him.

[Blue 1,095]

and when his wife (ex wife?) takes up with a new partner is that green-eyed monster going to rear it's ugly head again?

[nicole1 0]

theres a huge sale on at hunting and fishing...by a pair of proline dive boots and get a free chocolate lab

[myk 4]

How can someone else be charged when immunity from prosecution given.Watch the disparity in sentences both recieve.