The David Bain murder trial was cut short today after a jury member got ill.
The trial in the High Court at Christchurch heard evidence until 12.30pm, when the jurors went to lunch.
When the court was about to resume one juror was missing, so the rest of the panel was sent home for the day.
It was not known whether the juror will be fit for the court to reconvene tomorrow.
David Bain's uncle earlier told the jury that he asked his nephew directly whether he murdered five members of his family.
During a visit to Bain in prison a week after the killings Michael Bain said he asked his nephew: "Did you do it?"
Bain replied he had told his side to police and would stick to that, the Christchurch Court News website reported.
Mr Bain, who said he had been distressed with any member of the family being accused of murder, was giving evidence on the 35th day of the trial.
Bain denies murdering his parents and three siblings at the family home in Every Street, Dunedin, in June 1994.
Mr Bain said his nephew told him he was using self-hypnosis that his mother had taught him, to cope with stress.
Mr Bain said David's father Robin Bain spent the previous Christmas with him painting their mother's house.
When he had to go home again, Robin said that he had to go back to "that situation" but did not tell him what he meant.
He said it seemed to be a depressing prospect and Robin was saddened by it.
He knew there was a problem between Robin and his wife Margaret because Robin had put his mother off visiting Dunedin.
After the deaths, Mr Bain, as co-executor of the estate, had to go through the contents of the house and dispose of them before the house was burnt down.
Later he had to sort through articles police had kept as evidence. He said it was a difficult task.
A sister of Margaret Cullen Bain, Valerie Boyd, said after the deaths she arrived in Dunedin and stayed in the same house where David Bain was staying.
Bain had made decisions on how the funeral was to run and would "switch off" if any plans were not what he wanted, she said.
He told her he hated his father, that Robin was sneaky and listened in to conversations.
Robin would not accept that they did not want him there, and said it was his family, his house, and he was staying, Ms Boyd said.
