Student accused of murder impersonated woman found in ‘body box’, court hears

An international student allegedly murdered a flatmate found in a “body box” and impersonated her to steal more than $700,000, a jury has heard.

Yang Zhao today pleaded not guilty to the murder of Qiong Yan, 29, in September 2020 at their apartment in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Hamilton.

But he pleaded guilty to interfering with Yan’s corpse, which was found concealed in a toolbox on their riverside unit’s balcony almost 10 months after her alleged murder.

Crown prosecutor Chris Cook told a Supreme Court jury it would hear evidence Zhao hit Yan on the head or strangled her then went to a nearby hardware store to purchase a toolbox and duct tape.

Cook said police found Yan in the “body box” on July 19, 2021 after entering the apartment on a missing persons warrant.

“The term ‘body box’ is Mr Zhao’s own words … Mr Zhao admitted to police on July 19 and July 22 that he murdered Ms Yan and put her in that toolbox,” Cook said.

The jury was shown a photo of Yan as she was discovered, curled up in the toolbox underneath a black sheet with one foot exposed.

Cook said Zhao took control of Yan’s phone, placing black tape over its cameras.

Zhao then sent 2000 messages to Yan’s mother in China and her friend in Sydney over the next few months, the jury heard.

Cook said Zhao loved the high life and prior to the alleged murder had unsuccessfully gambled on the stock market and on poker, losing up to $100,000 at a time.

“(Zhao) needed money. He lost money. He killed (Ms Yan). He posed as her for a while. He took her money,” Cook said.

The jurors were told they would see Yan’s mother had sent a total of $411,000, while $200,000 in cash withdrawals were made from Yan’s bank accounts after she had died.

Cook said Zhao transferred Yan’s $300,000 Porsche Panamera SUV to his own name and later sold it, along with her MacBook computer.

“Zhao never had a job, he never lodged a tax return. He was in arrears for rent,” Cook said.

Zhao, aged 26 at the time of the alleged murder, was a Chinese national living in Australia on a student visa.

Yan was also a Chinese national living on a bridging visa and was a migration agency director.

Yan’s friend in Sydney filed a missing persons report to NSW Police after months of receiving strange messages.

“Once Ms Yan was reported missing – the Crown alleges there was extensive self-preservation by Mr Zhao, driven by selfishness and cowardice,” Cook said.

Cook told jurors they would hear Zhao lied to police in two states and led them on a wild goose chase before Yan’s body was found.