Chungaung Piao found guilty of murdering sex worker Ting Fang with her stiletto in Adelaide hotel

A SUPREME Court jury has convicted a man of the brutal murder of a Chinese sex worker on New Year’s Day, 2015. He showed little emotion as the verdict was handed down after five hours.

A SUPREME Court jury has convicted a man of the brutal murder of a Chinese sex worker on New Year’s Day 2015.

The jury took five hours to find Chungaung Piao guilty of murdering sex worker Ting Fang inside her hotel room at the Hotel Grand Chancellor on Hindley St, shortly after midnight on January 1, 2015.

Piao, 28, showed little emotion as the jury delivered its unanimous verdict that he had used Ms Fang’s stiletto shoe and a cleaning razor to murder the Sydney-based sex worker.

The jury heard evidence that Piao’s thumb print was on the bottom of the stiletto which was used to strike her in the head, before her throat was slashed with a razor.

The blade, which was found wrapped in baby wipes among bedsheets in the hotel room bath, was later found to match a packet of razors which Piao had bought for his cleaning business.

A court released image of Chunguang Piao. Picture: Twitter/9News

Prosecutors argued that while their case was largely based on circumstantial evidence, they told the jury there was no other rational possibility that Piao was not the killer.

Piao’s lawyers argued that someone other than their client had murdered Ms Fang, claiming phone records traced her mobile phone to Netley after she was allegedly killed.

Ms Fang suffered two V-shaped lacerations on her scalp and a 13cm, deep wound to her throat caused by two slashing motions.

The jury heard Ms Fang had told her minder via text message that she had to accompany Piao to get $2100 cash for the extended booking after midnight.

Ms Fang had told her minder she was happy to accept the booking because she was tired and would earn a night’s wages without having sex with Piao, who was impotent.

Ms Fang’s body was found after 7am on New Year’s Day next to the bed, clothed in a business shirt and black latex pants, when she was attacked, suggesting she was preparing to leave the hotel room with Piao to retrieve the money.

The jury heard Piao was being threatened over a $3000 debt when he booked an hour-long appointment at 10pm on December 31.

It also heard that Piao’s numerous bank accounts were either empty or overdrawn and that he would not have been able to pay for the booking.

Prosecutor Tim Preston said the exact reason for the murder may never be known, but claimed money was missing from Ms Fang’s handbag as well as her new iPhone t plus.

Piao, dressed in a light blue shirt, was remanded in custody to face court for sentencing submissions in August.

Under state law, he faces a mandatory life prison term and non-parole period of at least 20 years.