Chris Dawson has successfully applied to face a judge-alone trial for the alleged murder of his wife Lynette in the 1980s.
In the NSW Supreme Court this morning, Justice Robert Beech-Jones ruled Mr Dawson's trial should proceed without a jury when it begins next week.
The former high school teacher and professional rugby league player denies killing his wife, who vanished in January 1982.
Ms Dawson, then 33, disappeared from the family's Bayview home on Sydney's northern beaches, leaving behind two young children.
Her body has never been recovered but two coronial inquiries ruled Ms Dawson was murdered by someone she knew.
Mr Dawson was charged in 2018 after a renewed police investigation.
The 73-year-old has pleaded not guilty and has always denied involvement in his wife's disappearance.
Over the past two years his lawyers have unsuccessfully argued to have the trial permanently stayed, arguing Mr Dawson faced prejudices including intense public scrutiny on the case.
Last month, the High Court dismissed a last-ditch effort to have the trial halted.
It followed two previous permanent stay applications which failed in the Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA) respectively.
In 2020, Justice Elizabeth Fullerton ordered a temporary stay on the trial, until at least June 2021, stating media and public commentary around the case was "the most egregious example" the court had considered.
Justice Fullerton, however, ruled Mr Dawson could still receive a fair trial.
Last year the CCA dismissed Mr Dawson's appeal against Justice Fullerton's decision, saying permanent stays were reserved for the most extreme cases.
Prosecutors opposed the stay applications and the application for a judge-alone trial.
Mr Dawson's trial is set to begin before Justice Ian Harrison on Monday, May 9.
