Detective inspector Sue Schwalger, head of the Scott Guy murder inquiry reacts to the Jury's decision following the murder trial at the Wellington High Court.
Nine years today since the death of their son Scott, Bryan and Joanne Guy prefer to remember the good times spent with him - rather than wonder if whoever was responsible for his murder will ever be brought to justice.
It was in the early hours of July 8, 2010 that Scott Guy, 31, was shot and killed in the driveway of his home near Feilding when he stopped to open a gate.
Bryan Guy said today that the death of his son was always with him.
"We think about him every day, but you try to not dwell on it and just get on with life," he said.
"You look forward but I don't think you ever move on really."
Joanne Guy and Bryan Guy on the family farm at Feilding in 2015. File Photo / Mark Mitchell
In April 2011, Scott's brother-in-law Ewen Macdonald was charged with the murder.
It was alleged he was motivated by a fear of losing his place on the family farm after years of tension and feuding.
Macdonald was found not guilty of murder in 2012, but was jailed for five years for a string of other offences, including vandalising the farmhouse where Scott Guy lived with his wife Kylee, killing 19 calves and burning down a 110-year-old whare.
In 2013 police spent nine days sifting through effluent ponds at the Guy family farm in hopes of finding clues to the murder, but nothing of interest was found.
A police spokesperson said no officers are currently working on the case.
"The Scott Guy investigation is currently an unresolved, open and inactive homicide.
"While no specific staff are currently dedicated to the investigation, if any reliable, new information is presented, appropriate resources will be directed to thoroughly assess, evaluate, and if necessary, resume the investigation."
Ewen Macdonald was charged with his brother-in-law's murder but acquitted.
Bryan Guy isn't disappointed by the lack of police activity on the case, and indicates the unresolved nature of Scott's death is not something the family often think about.
"We always hope that the truth will come out but it's no good being stuck in the past, that's for sure.
"You hope one day, but I wouldn't say I'm confident."
Instead Bryan and the Guy family focus on the fun times spent with Scott to keep his memory alive.
"It's much better to talk about the good memories that's for sure.
"We try to do that a lot, we often talk with the kids about Scott and mention his name a lot so that he's still part of our family, you don't give them up just because they've died."
Bryan said Scott's birthday and the anniversary of his death are difficult, but that the family have received great support from the Feilding community over the years.
"The ripples of something like this have such a big effect on people, not just our family and our circumstance but when you get a sudden death, the ripples just keep going for such a long time.
"Our community has been fantastic to us all this time and it's so great to have a strong community, it's such a big help in coping with tragedies like this."
The Guy family visited the cemetery over the weekend and are coming together for afternoon tea on Monday afternoon.
