‘He lost money, he was angry’: Accused killer racked up ‘big losses’ gambling, court told

Yang Zhao loved the high life – fast cars, expensive things. But he was also angry.

The 30-year-old Chinese national had lost tens of thousands of dollars on the stock exchange, and in poker.

Yet, he saw a way to get money: by killing his friend and impersonating her.

Yang Zhao would “do anything to get money”, a court has heard.Credit: Nine News

These are the allegations against Zhao, who stands accused of murdering his flatmate, Qiong Yan, 29, at their Brisbane home in September 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge in his ongoing Supreme Court trial.

Yan’s body was found concealed in a large toolbox on the balcony of an apartment in Hamilton. Zhao has pleaded guilty to interfering with her corpse.

Qiong Yan’s body was found in a toolbox on the balcony of a Hamilton apartment.Credit: Police Media

It wasn’t until 10 months after Yan’s death that her body was discovered by police. A detective visiting the apartment testified that she was drawn to the black box because the locks were adorned with what turned out to be prayer bags, the court heard.

Upon opening the box, the detective told the court she immediately faced the “very strong smell” of a dead body, and saw a human foot. The cause of death could not be determined due to the level of decomposition, the court heard.

As his trial drew to a close on Monday, Zhao, wearing a suit, did not look around the court, and mostly stared straight ahead. Behind him, Yan’s grieving mother sat behind a panel of glass.

A jury of eight men and four women will soon begin deliberating on the case.

Last week, Zhao told the court Yan died accidentally while inhaling nitrous oxide with him, and he hid her body because he was afraid of being charged with supplying drugs. “I didn’t know nangs were not illegal,” he said.

But police allege Zhao murdered Yan by striking her on the head with a gas canister, then strangling her.

In his closing statements on Monday, crown prosecutor Chris Cook said Zhao’s motive was financial, and he stood to gain almost half a million dollars from Yan and her family.

Cook said Zhao, who was on a student visa, had spoken about losing more than $100,000 while trading, and also “wasn’t very good at gambling”.

“He told police he lost $100,000 playing poker as well ... he said that he was selfish, conceded he was a liar, a coward, only interested in himself, only interested in self-preservation,” Cook said.

“He said he was obsessed with money to a certain extent, and he also said he would do anything to get money.”

Qiong Yan’s body was found at the Newport Hamilton Apartments in Brisbane.Credit: Google Maps

Cook spoke of how Zhao was behind on the rent for the riverside apartment he shared with Yan, and may have also lost money interstate.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a man of champagne taste on a white wine budget,” Cook told the jury on Monday.

“Not your average punter on the horses. Big losses. Big losses on the stock exchange.”

The court was told Zhao became aware that Yan and her mother had received money from the sale of a property in Shanghai.

“Qiong Yan wanted to live. Mr Zhao treated her like his possession. He blamed her for what he did, losing money. He controlled her. These actions demonstrate that he wanted to profit from her death, and you can see he did profit – significantly.”

Cook said Zhao, in the months after Yan’s death, posed as his victim to avoid detection from police.

“He also utilised her identity to fulfil his motive of murdering for money. He used the funds in her account, stole approximately $463,000 from her mother, and perhaps also stole her Porsche.”

In his defence closing statement, barrister Andrew Hoare, KC, made reference to Zhao’s bank records, and the “enormous sums of money” he said were inconsistent with the claim that Zhao was struggling financially.

He said the idea that Zhao had planned to kill Yan was inconsistent with the panic that surrounded his discovery of her lifeless body. Hoare responded to prosecution evidence that Zhao had bought petrol, and considered using that to dispose of Yan’s body.

“He doesn’t use it. He doesn’t subsequently dispose of Ms Yan’s body. This ill-considered purchase, without any clear ... purpose, is indicative of panic.”

He said his client had a “lingering affection” for Yan, as shown by the prayer bags he had attached to the toolbox.

“Those small acts demonstrate an affection towards Ms Yan by Mr Zhao, which is inconsistent with him being a brutal and calculating murderer, prepared to end a person’s life over money.”

Hoare said once Zhao made the decision not to call authorities, his path was set.

“Once he prioritised his interest in that way, that singular self-centred act put in motion this inevitable series of events. Lies accumulate upon lies until it eventually unravels upon the discovery of Ms Yan’s body.”

The case continues before Justice Martin Burns.

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