But behind the easy smile and seemingly effortless charm of Morgan Huxley were pulses of anxiety, surging though the businessman almost constantly in the days before he died.

These were fears and stresses he shared with three women during the first week of September 2013 — two new romantic interests Rebecca Prins and Kathryn Leis, and a close former girlfriend in Jessica Hall.

For a man who appeared to have no cause for concern in the world, there was much to worry about.

His father was becoming increasingly frailer as he fell deeper into the throes of multiple sclerosis.

His maritime maintenance business Huxley Marine was struggling and tension between Mr Huxley and the man who controlled the wharf space where he worked, at the Sydney Fish Markets, had reached boiling point.

On the morning of September 7, with less than 24 hours of his life left, Mr Huxley told Ms Leis that the owner, John Giddens, had told him he was now involving police in the bitter feud over a generator and a barge.

Earlier in that week it was claimed Giddens had said of Huxley: “I’ll square that little c**** up if it’s the last thing I do.”

Ms Leis, a pretty brunette who appeared nervous as she gave brief evidence to the trial, said she understood it was a stress on Mr Huxley but “I didn’t get the impression he feared for his life.”

Mr Huxley, who ended a long term, six year relationship with attractive blonde Ms Hall in 2011, relished the single life.

While clearly fond of the women he was seeing, he didn’t appear to want an exclusive relationship.

Data obtained from his mobile shows he was a user of the Plenty of Fish dating app and avoided tying himself to one woman.

Rebecca Prins, a striking woman who had been dating Mr Huxley for a few weeks before his death, said she had asked Mr Huxley about other women whose names she saw pop up on his phone.

Ms Prins made plans to meet up with Mr Huxley at The Oaks about 8:30pm on the evening of September 7 and sent him a text message “I’m at The Oaks” to confirm.

She had brought a few friends along to meet the new man in her life.

At 9:20pm she messaged him “what are you doing Morgan?” and he replied at 9:50pm “I’m coming to meet you.”

But by 11:15pm, he still hadn’t come. And Ms Prins had had enough.

She told the jury she “regrettably” sent him a message at 11:15pm “I’m done with you” and then went home alone.

At 1:04am, when Ms Prins was asleep, Morgan Huxley texted her “I’m sorry Rebecca, I fell asleep. What are you doing?”

On the same evening, Jessica Hall had also discussed meeting Mr Huxley at The Oaks, and had even started to drive there before he told her he was still at the engagement party of his childhood friend Christopher Moroney.

Mr Huxley asked if Ms Hall would come and pick him up from the party, but she told him “it’s too late” (in the evening) and she had to study the next day.

About the same time he messaged Ms Prins, Mr Huxley inquired of Ms Hall via text “come over?”

The rapid attempts at contact with two women in two minutes was seized on by the defence — evidence Kelsall’s barrister Christopher Watson said indicated Mr Huxley was “desirous of physical contact.”

“Mr Huxley was a heterosexual. That’s right; but the evidence shows that he may well have been intoxicated to some degree but certainly he may well have sought some sexual gratification with Mr Kelsall,” Mr Watson said in closing remarks to the jury.

All three women gave statements to the police after the murder and agreed to DNA swab tests. None were under the cloud of suspicion.

The Daily Telegraph understands as many as six other women who had been involved with Mr Huxley in the lead up to his death were due to be called at trial, but ultimately released as witnesses.

John Giddens was never asked to provide DNA and denied making the “square up” remark.

“It doesn’t sound like my style,” he told the jury.

He agreed he had told off a colleague who went to Mr Huxley’s funeral, but said he had only done so because he had overheard that colleague talking badly about the murdered man, and said there had been a lot of work to do that day.

But he denied that he told that colleague that he was being “hassled” by the detectives or said to him “I’ve got an alibi, I hope you have too.”

Mr Giddens said he had found Mr Huxley likable and charismatic at the start of their relationship and felt “aggrieved” because “I felt I had gone out of my way to help a young man with his business.”

The jury heard Mr Giddens had parked Mr Huxley’s car in at the wharf because he hadn’t returned equipment he owed him, and out of anger that Mr Huxley had “given a brown eye” to a man Giddens was doing business with.

While it is likely that both the work and love troubles would have eased in time, the deterioration of Mr Huxley Snr’s health has continued to devastate the family.

Allan Huxley has been present for some of the trial, but now requires a wheelchair.

The popularity of the magnetic Morgan Huxley has been clear in the scores of extended family and friends, male and female, who have crammed the small courtroom in the city’s King St complex to hear the evidence against Daniel Jack Kelsall.