"This has been very distressing for the whole family," Mr Ryder said. "Trying to get someone to murder your parents just isn't family morals."
Long-time family friends, John and Johanna Hutchings of Tauranga, were shocked Barlow had been convicted and worried about how he'd cope in jail.
"He doesn't deserve this," they said, believing a long history of family dysfunction had led to the charge Barlow faced.
Tauranga detective Logan Nicholas gave the court a run-down of his taped interview with Barlow on December 12, 2013. In the video Barlow strenuously denied wanting to have his parents murdered after falling out with them over the Invercargill home they jointly owned and financial matters related to it.
Barlow claimed Mr Ryder indicated he was going to get someone to do something for him but he didn't know what.
Barlow said after a couple of phone calls he'd met the officer masquerading as a hit man. He'd described himself as a fixer but Barlow said he didn't know what he was planning to fix.
"A few thousand dollars had been mentioned; I thought it was just fixing my house or car," Barlow said.
Closing the Crown's case, prosecutor Hayley Sheridan told the court Barlow wanted to hasten his parents' death and had provided a floor plan of their home with an X marking where they slept.
"I suggest you will have no trouble determining Barlow's purpose was to get 'John' [the supposed hit man] to kill his parents. If he had come up with the payment he would have had a watertight agreement with him."
Barlow's lawyer, Craig Tuck, said the trial had been short and short on evidence. He described the Barlow family as one that had "gone feral".