Ewen Macdonald in the dock on the 14th day of his trial, for the murder of Feilding farmer Scott Guy. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ewen Macdonald in the dock on the 14th day of his trial, for the murder of Feilding farmer Scott Guy. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The man acquitted of murdering Feilding farmer Scott Guy is a free man and has fallen in love.
Ewen Macdonald's parole conditions for other offences against the Guy family expired this month. He is no longer being monitored electronically, is allowed to visit the North Island and allowed toreapply for a gun licence.
This week his father, Kerry Macdonald, told the Weekend Herald his son is "doing really well and is in a good place".
He's working in forestry and has set up home in Christchurch with his new girlfriend planning to move in.
"He has got a new girl" Kerry said. "They are an item, they met through mutual friends - she is a lovely, lovely girl. The thing is Ewen is not starting life again - he is well into it." Scott Guy died after being shot at close range with a shotgun outside his rural property in the early hours of July 8, 2010.
Ewen Macdonald was found not guilty of murder in 2012, but was jailed for five years for a string of other offences, including vandalising the farm house where Scott Guy lived with his wife Kylee, killing 19 calves and burning down a 110 year-old building.
He was denied parole four times before it was granted last year with strict conditions.
They included electronic monitoring, a ban on entering the North Island, a ban on possessing or using firearms and a ban on communication or association with co-offender Callum Boe.
The Parole Board confirmed the terms of Ewen Macdonald's parole have lapsed and he is a free man.
Kerry Macdonald said he and his wife Marlene are relieved their son's ordeal is over. He said he never doubted his son's innocence in the Guy murder and believes the killer is still "out there".
"I knew [Ewen] didn't do it."
Kerry Macdonald said his son's conviction had taken a toll on the family but he was looking forward to putting "everything behind us - things were raw at the beginning but they die with age and time don't they?"
He continued: "The thing about Ewen is he is relaxed about everything and what's happened in the past.
"Ewen wants to get on with life - he doesn't want to drag things up or do any interviews or books - he doesn't want the attention.
"Basically, he doesn't have an axe to grind."
Ewen Macdonald's ex-wife Anna Guy - Scott Guy's sister - said she hadn't been officially informed that his parole conditions had ended but was aware he was now free to visit the North Island.
Kylee and Scott Guy photographed in 2006. Photo / Supplied
"I haven't spoken to anyone [officially] but I just knew because of the timeframe."
Guy and MacDonald were childhood sweethearts. They met after Macdonald started working on the Guy family farm and married in 2001. Scott Guy was their best man.
Their marriage ended while Ewen was in prison. Anna moved to Auckland with her four children to be with her partner, marketing executive Brent Jameson. They have two children together - preschooler Ruby and 4-month-old Ari.
The mother-of-six added there were "no plans for Ewen to visit the children at this stage".
Following her husband's murder, Kylee Guy left Feilding and returned to her hometown in the Hawke's Bay with sons Hunter, now 8, and Drover, 6.
Late last year she gave birth to her third son, Husky, with partner Kent Martin. She declined to comment this week.
Scott Guy's father, Bryan, was surprised to learn from the Weekend Herald that his former son-in-law was now a free man. He said he and his wife Jo, who live near Kerry and Marlene Macdonald in Feilding, are doing their best to move on.
"It's not easy, but if we hold onto the bitterness and hatred it will destroy us.
"We have a lot of catching up to do and we hope to go fishing and duck shooting but Ewen doesn't have a firearms licence so he'll have to apply for that."
