Edwards 'happier than ever' when she disappeared, court told
In an opening statement to the court, the prosecution said the 55-year-old woman was "undoubtedly" dead but no body had ever been found.
The court was told there had been no bank account activity, or outgoing activity on her mobile phone since the day of her disappearance.
Mrs Edwards was last seen on March 14, 2015, after spending the evening at the Good Intent Hotel, South Grafton with Billy Mills.
The prosecution said Mrs Edwards and Mr Mills engaged in an affair in the early years of her marriage with the accused and that the relationship was rekindled at the end of 2013.
In giving evidence, Mrs Edwards' close friend Christine Kennedy said Mrs Edwards wanted to amicably split from the accused. She said Mrs Edwards had raised the issue with her estranged husband.
"She had seen an accountant and got legal advice on settlement ... as far as she was concerned, it was over," Ms Kennedy told the court.
The court heard, some months before her disappearance, Mrs Edwards moved to Grafton, in to a home bought with Mr Edwards' inheritance while he remained at the Lawrence residence.
