The creator of the award-winning podcast the Teacher's Pet has told a Sydney court he initially thought it was "likely" Chris Dawson murdered his wife Lynette.
Mr Dawson is accused of murdering Lynette Dawson in 1982 so he could pursue an "unfettered relationship" with the family's 16-year-old babysitter.
The 73-year-old has pleaded not guilty.
On Monday, Mr Dawson's barrister Pauline David asked journalist Hedley Thomas if he thought her client was guilty of murder before he started recording the podcast.
"No," Thomas replied.
"I thought it was likely, but I still had an open mind about it, I wanted to learn more about it, I became more sure as time went on."
Thomas told the court he understood there had been about 60 million downloads of the podcast internationally but only a fraction of them would have been listened to in full.
The defence claims the podcast has contaminated witnesses in the case.
Ms David accused Thomas of embarking "on a campaign to incite prejudice against the accused".
"No I disagree," he replied.
The defence also tendered transcripts from television interviews Thomas took part in, in which he described Mr Dawson as "narcissistic" and "despicable".
The journalist told the court these were his personal views and — despite never meeting the accused — he probably wouldn't use such strong language if he had his time again.
He said the opinion was formed based on the findings of two coronial inquests and his own interviews.
"I don't think you need to meet somebody to form a view about them ... that at the stage was my view, and it hasn't changed," Thomas told the court.
Thomas said his "strident" descriptions of Mr Dawson had come only when he was asked for his personal views in interviews, and that his opinion had not been offered in the podcast.
Thomas told the court if he uncovered information that changed the narrative or disputed the findings from the coronial inquests it would have become a significant part of the podcast.
During cross-examination, Thomas accepted that by telling Ms Dawson's family he wanted to help them get "justice", it also meant the prosecution of her husband.
While gathering evidence and information to create the podcast he believed there had been "a failure of police to properly investigate" her disappearance.
Thomas was also asked how much money he earned from each download to which he replied: "none, nothing."
The trial, before Justice Ian Harrison, continues.
