Key dates in murder trial of Robert Xie

HOW EVENTS UNFOLDED BEFORE ROBERT XIE WAS CHARGED WITH MURDER AND DURING HIS TRIALS

July 17, 2009

* The Lin family meet and have their usual Friday night family dinner with grandparents, all is "perfectly normal".

* Min leaves first to deliver newspapers.

* Kathy and Xie drop their nephews Henry and Terry home.

July 18, 2009

* Xie cleans garage floor.

* Kathy and Xie get a call saying her brother Min Lin has not shown up at his newsagency.

* They get to the Lin family home and discover bodies.

October 7, 2009

* Letter arrives at Epping newsagency addressed to Kathy Lin, purporting to be from the Triads, saying Min Lin owed more than $128,000 for drugs. "Pay money before 12 noon 16 August or die", it says.

Jan 2010

* Surveillance devices installed in Xie's home at North Epping.

May 6, 2010

* Kathy Lin called in to answer questions at the NSW Crime Commission, and is told police suspect her husband.

* Kathy told inaccurately that shoes of murderer are the same size as Xie's.

* That night, the crown says Xie is seen cutting up shoe boxes.

May 11, 2010

* Police start five-day search of Xie's home and find a "stain" said to contain the DNA of at least four of the Lin family victims on the garage floor.

May 5, 2011

* Xie arrested and taken into custody.

July 29, 2011

* Xie is transferred to Long Bay jail where he shares an adjoining cell with "Witness A" who begins informing on him to police.

May 8, 2014

* The jury is empanelled at Xie's first trial. Jury discharged for legal reasons on June 10, 2014.

August 5, 2014

* Second trial begins. Jury discharged on September 23, 2014 when Justice Peter Johnson falls sick.

February 4, 2015

* Third trial starts with the empanelling of 15 members, as opposed to the usual 12, due to its length.

November 12, 2015

* At 11.21am, 12 jurors are sent out to begin deliberations.

December 1, 2015

* Jury unable to reach a verdict, unanimous or by majority and is discharged.