Yang Zhao: Brisbane man found guilty after horror ‘body box’ discovery on Queensland balcony
A man on trial for killing his flatmate, before leaving her corpse inside a “body box” on his apartment balcony for 10 months, has been found guilty of murder.
At the start of his Brisbane Supreme Court trial in April, Yang Zhao pleaded not guilty to the murder of Chinese national Qiong Yan, 29, in September 2020.
Ms Yan’s decomposing body was found stored in a large toolbox on the balcony of a Hamilton apartment in northeast Brisbane, which was rented by Zhao and Ms Yan in July 2021.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Zhao had pleaded guilty to misconduct with a corpse – admitting he put Ms Yan’s body inside the toolbox after she died – but denied causing her death.
A jury of eight men and four women returned their verdict on Tuesday after less than two hours of deliberating.
Rongmei Yan, Ms Yan’s mother, cried upon the verdict being delivered, while Zhao sat emotionless in the dock.
Throughout the trial, the Crown contended that Zhao had a financial motive to kill Ms Yan due to his hefty trading and gambling losses.
The Crown contended that Zhao took his flatmate’s phone after the murder, using it to pose as Ms Yan while moving thousands of dollars from her bank accounts to his own.
It was alleged he convinced Ms Yan’s mother, Rongmei, to transfer more than $400,000 to her daughter’s accounts.
It was further alleged that Zhao kept up the appearance that Ms Yan was alive by using her WeChat account to message friends and family, even telling NSW Police looking into a missing person’s report on Ms Yan that she was “fine”.
Zhao himself gave evidence during the trial, telling the jury the pair were using nitrous oxide canisters on the night Ms Yan died.
He said he noticed Ms Yan was unresponsive and “cold to touch” – leading him to panic over fears he would be in “trouble” for supplying the drugs to her.
His evidence was picked apart for days by Crown prosecutor Chris Cook, who called him a “liar”, “coward” and someone only interested in self-preservation.
Andrew Hoare KC, Zhao’s defence barrister, urged the jury to view his client’s statements with scepticism, calling them “tales” told by a man who panicked.
“Mr Zhao has lied … but that doesn’t make him a murderer,” Mr Hoare said.
He argued the version Zhao gave police – that he strangled Ms Yan – was fabricated under extreme stress and fear of the death penalty.
