‘I didn’t kill anyone’: Man accused of murdering flatmate, putting body into ‘body box’ grilled at trial

A man accused of murdering his flatmate and putting her body in a large box on his balcony has denied killing her, while being grilled during cross-examination.

A man who has been accused of murdering his flatmate and leaving her body for 10 months in a “body box” on his balcony has been grilled in the witness box over his “lies”.

Chinese national Yang Zhao broke his silence for the first time during his Supreme Court trial over the alleged murder of Qiong Yan more than three years ago.

Mr Zhao spoke of how the pair became friends after meeting in 2017, eventually moving in together in Sydney before moving to Queensland in 2020.

In a brief introduction, Mr Zhao’s barrister Andrew Hoare said the jury would hear evidence his client denied fatally strangling or striking his flatmate and how he felt “immense shame” over “maintaining a lie” Ms Yan was alive to her mother and to the police.

Crown prosecutor Chris Cook spent the afternoon attacking this narrative – calling him a “liar”, “coward” and someone who was “only interested in self-preservation.

Mr Zhao – who has pleaded not guilty to murder – is accused of killing Ms Yan, 29, in September 2020 and putting her inside the large box, stored on the balcony of his Hamilton unit, in Brisbane’s northeast.

The body of Qiong Yan, 29, was found inside a large box stored on a unit in Hamilton in July 2021. Picture: Supplied

Yang Zhao, her flatmate, is on trial for murder. Picture: Supplied

Police did not discover Ms Yan’s body until 10 months later.

The Crown contends Mr Zhao used his flatmate’s phone to pose as her, withdrawing thousands of dollars from her bank accounts and convincing Ms Yan’s mother, Rongmei, to transfer even more money.

It is alleged Mr Zhao kept up the appearance that Ms Yan was actually alive by sending thousands of messages to her friends and family.

But Mr Zhao has denied fatally striking or strangling her – stepping into the witness box as his criminal trial entered its second week.

During cross-examination, Mr Zhao was grilled about his conversations with NSW Police in both the lead-up to and following his arrest in July 2021 – the same time Queensland detectives found Ms Yan’s body at the Hamilton unit.

Aided by an interpreter, Mr Zhao was asked why he said he “did not regret” killing Ms Yan.

“I didn’t kill anyone,” he told the court.

Mr Cook asked if Mr Zhao had said “I am a murderer” while being taken away by NSW Police, to which Mr Zhao answered “I said that”.

“That’s because it’s the truth, isn’t it Mr Zhao? You murdered Qiong Yan,” Mr Cook asked.

“No,” Mr Zhao answered.

Mr Cook asked why Mr Zhao had said “finally it ends” to NSW Police when he was arrested – to which Mr Zhao admitted he had a “sense of relief” that he did not “have to pretend that I’m her (Ms Yan).”

Mr Zhao admitted he “loved the high life” and “expensive things” and “fast cars”, but denied ever gambling.

“You loved to gamble on the stock exchange?” Mr Cook asked.

Mr Zhao was grilled during cross-examination of the statements he made to police in the lead-up to and following his arrest in 2021. Picture: Supplied / 9News

“If you say stock trading is a kind of gambling, then I think it’s not accurate,” Mr Zhao answered.

“You may as well say I like to earn money”.

Mr Cook put to Mr Zhao he had lost $100,000 playing poker, but Mr Zhao said he did not gamble via poker.

He also denied treating Ms Yan like a “possession” or thinking that he “owned her”.

When asked again by Mr Cook, Mr Zhao replied: “If you’re going to keep repeating that question then there’s not much I can say about it.”

Justice Martin Burns interrupted and said “You can answer it”, leading to Mr Zhao responding to Mr Cook with “no”.

“You’re a liar … a coward … only interested in yourself (and) self-preservation,” Mr Cook continued, to which Mr Zhao answered “yes”.

“You profited from Qiong Yan’s death?” Mr Cook asked.

“Yes,” Mr Zhao said.

“You murdered her for money,” Mr Cook put to Mr Zhao.

He responded by saying: “I did not kill her”.

Earlier, the court was told Mr Zhao met Ms Yan back in Australia while trying to renew his passport and the pair exchanged their WeChat details.

Rongmei Yan (left), the mother of Qiong Yan, has flown in from China to give evidence during Mr Zhao’s murder trial at Brisbane Supreme Court. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

“We discussed me renewing my student visa, and finding a residency,” Mr Zhao said.

“Did your relationship with Ms Yan change after that?” Mr Hoare asked.

“We became good friends,” Mr Zhao replied.

“At the beginning of 2020, I was renting an apartment in Wolli Creek with three roommates, and the lease was about to expire.

“At the time, she was living near Wolli Creek and we decided it would be good if we moved in together.”

The court was told the pair then moved to an address in Brighton-Le-Sands and then to the Hamilton unit in 2020.

Mr Zhao (centre) will give evidence today as the trial continues into its second week. Picture: Supplied / 9News

“We were best of friends … like sister and brother,” Mr Zhao said when asked about their relationship.

Mr Zhao said he discovered Ms Yan had died “early in the morning of the next day”.

“Prior to Ms Yan’s passing, what were you doing?” Mr Hoare asked.

“We were doing the gassing (inhaling nitrous oxide) and drinking together,” Mr Zhao replied.

The Chinese national continued by saying the pair used a cream bottle to inhale the drug, which he referred to as laughing gas.

The jury was told both of them were on the sofa on the night of Ms Yan’s death.

He described Ms Yan’s face as “very red” and said she had a nosebleed after they spent more than an hour consuming nitrous oxide.

“She wanted me to give her some tissues, but I couldn’t stand up at the time so I threw them at her,” Mr Zhao said.

“She felt it was a little bit too hot on the sofa, so she moved down to lie in front of the television.”

Mr Zhao said later on, he wasn’t sure if Ms Yan was breathing after he returned to the room.

The court was told he shook her, to no response, before turning her over.

“I noticed her body was very cold … there was blood on her nose and some liquid that had just dried,” Mr Zhao said.

Mr Zhao said he did not call for any assistance, saying: “I was panicked.”

“I was worried I would get in trouble,” he said.

“After I saw her like that, I worked out nothing I could do would make a difference.

“I used the quilt cover to cover her (Ms Yan).”

Mr Zhao told the jury he consumed nitrous oxide with Ms Yan on the night of her death and ‘panicked’ when he realised she had died. Picture: Supplied

During his opening, Mr Hoare told the jury they would hear evidence from Mr Zhao of how he and Ms Yan were consuming nitrous oxide canisters in order to relax at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“He (Mr Zhao) will speak about the night in late September 2020, how they both consumed significant quantities of nitrous oxide,” Mr Hoare said.

“He will describe how … he ended up falling asleep on the couch, woke up, used the bathroom and observed Ms Yan lying on her stomach between the couch and the dining table.”

Mr Hoare told the jury Mr Zhao would give evidence his flatmate was “cold to touch” and she had dried blood on her nose.

“At that point he considered calling for help but he was scared he would be in trouble for supplying the nitrous oxide to her.”

“In that state of panic he made a deliberate decision not to call police … (and) closed her eyes, cleaned the vomit and blood from her face, and covered her body with a doona cover,” Mr Hoare said.

Mr Hoare told the court his client would accept “entirely” he communicated with Ms Yan’s mother and others to maintain a pretence she was still alive in a “selfish” effort to prevent authorities from catching up with him.

He continued by saying the jury would hear Mr Zhao speak about his “immense shame and guilt” for his conduct and his “conscious deceit” of Ms Yan’s mother.

“But he will not say that he caused the death of Ms Yan by strangling her or striking her,” Mr Hoare said.

The trial continues.

Originally published as ‘I didn’t kill anyone’: Man accused of murdering flatmate, putting body into ‘body box’ grilled at trial