The trial of the man accused of killing Feilding farmer Scott Guy will hopefully provide closure for two local families, the town's former mayor says.
Ewen Macdonald will today go on trial in Wellington for the murder of Mr Guy, who was shot dead on the driveway of his farm in July 2010.
Macdonald, who turns 32 today, was charged with the killing after a nine-month investigation.
Mr Guy was Macdonald's best man when he married Mr Guy's sister Anna, and Macdonald was a pallbearer at his funeral.
Former Manawatu Mayor Ian McKelvie said the Feilding community had been waiting for the trial in the hope it would bring closure.
"There's certainly been talk about it.
"I think the real thing for this community will be to get a result out of it."
Mr McKelvie, now MP for Rangitikei, said both families were known throughout the region.
"It's beyond belief, really. The sooner it's concluded the better. It's not going to be a quick process but we'll hold our breath for six weeks [until the trial is over]."
Last week, Scott Guy's father, Bryan Guy, said the trial was not something the family were looking forward to, but they would cope as best they could.
He did not know how much of the trial he would be able to attend initially as he and other family members would be called as witnesses.
Witnesses are not allowed into the courtroom until they give their evidence, so it is unlikely they will be in court to hear the opening addresses today.
Mr Guy's widow, Kylee, and their children Hunter and Drover have since moved to Hawkes Bay. Mrs Guy is expected to attend at least part of the trial.
Macdonald and Scott and Bryan Guy were business partners on the Guy family farm, which Macdonald and Scott Guy co-managed.
The shooting shocked the Feilding community and gripped the whole country as weeks and then months passed with few clues to what could have happened.
Within a week of his death, Mr Guy's parents Bryan and Jo made their first emotional plea for information.
Months later, with seemingly little progress, Kylee Guy went before the media to make her own plea for anyone who knew anything to contact police.
A few developments grabbed the public's attention, including when police asked for information on Mr Guy's movements in Southland where he attended a dairy conference with Macdonald.
But the arrest in April last year still proved a shock for many.
The trial is being held in Wellington because of concerns that an impartial jury would be hard to find in Manawatu. It is expected to last six weeks.
SCOTT GUY TRIAL
* The accused, Ewen Macdonald, 32.
* Charge: Murder
* Trial will be in the High Court at Wellington.
* Expected to last six weeks.