The father of a young man accused of stabbing Sydney businessman Morgan Huxley to death says his son had become "quite withdrawn and morose" the year before the death.
Mark Kelsall described his son Daniel Jack as caring, understanding and empathetic at the 22-year-old's trial in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday.
The former young chef has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Huxley, who was stabbed 20 times in his Neutral Bay home on Sydney's north shore on September 8, 2013.
His flatmate discovered the 31-year-old lying in his bedroom doorway, covered in blood.
Mr Kelsall told the court he had never seen his son be violent, cruel or aggressive.
"I have thought about this subsequently and we had pet cats and dogs and he was always very good to them."
He said he enjoyed his son's company, describing him as "very caring and understanding, quite empathetic" and a bookworm.
From about the time his son was in high school, Mr Kelsall thought the 22-year-old was gay but they had never made a "big deal about it".
Always a hard worker, he said his son was excited about getting a job as a junior chef after coming to Australia from New Zealand in 2010.
But he had to leave that job after having increasing problems with his medication for bipolar disorder, so he started working at Sydney Cooking School.
By the beginning of 2012, Mr Kelsall said his son had become progressively worse.
"Jack was always bright and bubbly but the medication was making him dopey. He was struggling to concentrate."
"He became quite withdrawn and quite morose," Mr Kelsall added.
Due to the ongoing problems, Mr Kelsall said his son went to a new doctor and psychiatrist who believed he had been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and was on the wrong medication.
He said he had never asked his son if he committed the murder.
The trial continues.
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