The parents of a young man charged with the murder of Neutral Bay businessman Morgan Huxley say they often think about the grief and loss of the victim's family.
Mark and Lynne Kelsall are preparing to support their son Daniel Jack Kelsall, 22, through his trial which is expected to begin in the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney this week.
Homicide detectives arrested their son, 22, after Mr Huxley, 31, died from a number of stab wounds in his Watson Street unit on September 8, 2013.
Through a close family friend, the Kelsall family said they loved their son and would stand by him throughout the trial.
"They are fragile yet they remind us repeatedly it is not just about them. They really feel for the Huxley family and what they must be going through over the loss of their son," the friend who did not wish to be named told Fairfax Media.
"They are all victims in this," she said.
The friend said their life had been turned upside down by their son's arrest.
"Mark and Lynne are such lovely people who work hard," she said.
"They can't get to grips with what has happened, what is about to happen at the trial or what impact it will have on their lives."
"No matter how busy they are they always find time to visit Jack – usually twice a week. All they can do is show him that they are there for him. They love their son."
It was the day after Tony Abbott was elected Australia's new prime minister when the lives of the Huxleys and Kelsalls changed forever.
Mr Huxley had spent a sunny Saturday afternoon at a friend's engagement party and was last seen walking out of the Oaks Hotel after a nightcap about 1.30am on September 8.
Less than 90 minutes later he was found barely alive in his unit by his Irish flatmate Jean Redmond but he later died from his injuries.
After a four-week investigation under intense media scrutiny and speculation, homicide detectives arrested Mr Kelsall at his family's Spruson Street unit on October 8.
Mr Kelsall worked as a kitchen assistant at the Sydney Cooking School which adjoins a coffee shop that is less than 100 metres from Mr Huxley's Watson Street unit.
The former student of Athena Montessori College in New Zealand has been in jail since his arrest but has been speaking regularly with his parents and family friends.
In the months after his arrest, police laid additional charges including indecent assault, aggravated break and enter with intent to commit a serious indictable offence.
Mr Huxley has been previously described by friends and family as a popular, loving man who was a gifted sportsman and had "a talent for creating things".
The former Hunters Hills High School student was a soccer fiend, a car enthusiast and felt strongly about environmental issues.
Mr Kelsall's trial is scheduled to begin on Monday at Sydney's King Street courthouse and is estimated to run for four weeks.
