Cedric Harper Jordan and Noelene June Jordan have pleaded not guilty to murdering Shane Barker, 39, on August 2, 2009 at his property in Campbell Town.
The jury in the trial, which is expected to run for months, was earlier told the married couple had a hatred for Mr Barker and wanted him out of the life of their daughter, Rachel.
Cedric Jordan's defence lawyer, Patrick O'Halloran, told the court on Wednesday his client had nothing to do with Mr Barker's death.
It is alleged Mr Barker was shot four times and left to die at his property in the early evening after returning from dinner with his parents.
The Crown has alleged Jordan, a recreational shooter, most likely pulled the trigger and he and his wife formed a common purpose to carry out the murder.
Mr O'Halloran said the headline issue for the jury was the issue of memory and the accuracy and reliability of witnesses.
"Most of the relevant events ... occurred in 2009, 14 years ago, when Kevin Rudd was prime minister for the first time," he told the Supreme Court of Tasmania in Launceston.
"Sometimes separate events are simply coincidences. The jigsaw pieces do not fit together."
He said the gun used in the alleged murder had never been recovered.
Noelene Jordan's lawyer, Fran McCracken, said there would be lots of witnesses with "little pieces" of evidence.
"(There) is no magical conclusive piece of evidence … like you'd see on television," she said.
During opening submissions last week, crown prosecutor Daryl Coates said the jury would hear evidence Cedric Jordan had said he had a bullet with Mr Barker's name on it.
Mr Coates said Rachel was unhappy about a proposed financial settlement with Mr Barker and there were tensions over visitation of their daughter.
Ms McCracken said words could "easily be thrown about" and when looking at them in hindsight it created a much different picture.
Mr Barker's sister Nicole Garwood told the court he was very distressed and upset when he and Rachel divorced in 2007.
"Mainly because Rachel took (their daughter) when she left," she said.
She said Mr Barker was well-known in Campbell Town and apart from the Jordans never had disagreements with anyone.
The Jordans were charged in 2020, with Mr Coates telling the court a police unit with detectives who specialised in complex cases took over investigations in 2015.