The man will appear in the High Court at Auckland today as the trial begins.
Suppression orders covering the identity of the murder accused have continued since his first appearance in court last year.
Mrs Gotingco, a 56-year-old mother of three, was last seen leaving her workplace, Tower Insurance in the CBD, about 7pm on May 24, 2014.
She took a bus from Lower Albert St to Birkdale Rd and it is thought she was walking the short distance home when she encountered her alleged attacker.
The defendant lived within a couple of kilometres from Mrs Gotingco's Salisbury Rd home and less than a kilometre from the bus stop she got off at.
Mrs Gotingco's body was found in an area of bush at the Birkenhead-Glenfield cemetery on Eskdale Rd.
The Crown have also charged the man with sexual violation.
