Wei Li searched web for ways to kill and avoid police before murdering mother in their Burnside home, court told

YOUNG law student Wei Li allegedly searched the internet for a range of incriminating phrases including “using knife to stab heart” in the days before his mother was stabbed to death in their Burnside home.

YOUNG law student Wei Li searched online how to fatally stab someone and avoid police in the days before his mother’s murder, a court has heard.

Opening the trial on Wednesday, prosecutor Jim Pearce detailed numerous searches made by Li’s laptop before Hong Xia Tien was allegedly bashed and strangled by her now 22-year-old son at their Burnside Home in March 2011.

The alleged searches included: “Using knife to stab heart”, “Where to stab using knife cause quickest death”, “Where to stab instantly causing someone, something, death” as well as “Avoid police” and “Mobile track”.

Mr Pearce said the alleged entries suggested a degree of premeditation to Mrs Tien’s death.

Murder suspect Wei Li.

He said he expected Li would not argue Mrs Tien died at his hands but the jury would have to consider his intent, and whether he was acting in self-defence.

“On the prosecution case you are entitled to consider those search terms demonstrating an interest in taking human life when considering his question of intention,” he said.

“It may be relevant when looking at whether the accused’s actions were unlawful.

“It rather tends to suggest, on the prosecution’s case, he had an interest in taking human life.”

He said searches regarding mobile phone tracking further implicated Li’s intentions as murderous.

“It shows an interest in avoiding police,” Mr Pearce said.

“You might think that it shows a degree of premeditation on the account of the accused.”

The Burnside home where Hong Xia Tien was killed in March, 2011.

Mr Pearce told the jury Li had fled to Melbourne and then to China via Singapore in the days after his mother’s killing and was not sent back to Australia until found years later by Chinese authorities.

He said Mrs Tien had been struck multiple times with an iron rod and strangled by Li, who had graduated from Prince Alfred College and had begun studying law at Adelaide University.

The court heard the family ran a furniture business near the intersection of South Tce and King William Rd in the CBD.

The court heard Li’s father, Jianlu Li, who was in China when his wife died, became concerned when he could not contact his family and sent a friend around to check on them on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 — about the same time as his son booked a flight to leave the country.

Mr Pearce said his friend found Mrs Tien’s body and called police.

Wei Li’s father, Jianlu Li, arrives at one of his son’s court appearances last year.

Li’s lawyer, Kevin Borick, QC, reminded the jury that Mr Pearce’s opening was the prosecution’s allegations and would be contested by the defence at a later stage.

A PAC school friend of Li, who once stayed overnight at their family home, has given evidence about the mother and son’s relationship.

“They were very polite and very gentle to each other and they always took care of me,” he said.

The trial, before Justice Trish Kelly, continues.