Toolbox murder-accused Yang Zhao claims flatmate Qiong Yan died from inhaling nangs

The man accused of killing his roommate and leaving her body in a box on their Brisbane balcony has faced intense cross-examination over his actions in the lead-up to police finding her. READ THE EXCHANGE

Yang Zhao has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to interfering with a corpse.

A man accused of killing his roommate and shoving her body into a toolbox on their Brisbane apartment balcony has faced an intense cross-examination over his alleged confessions to police.

Yang Zhao told a court he’d falsely confessed to killing Qiong Yan in their Hamilton unit because he felt ashamed and wanted the death penalty even though he was told it didn’t exist in Australia.

Zhao is accused of killing Ms Yan and shoving her into a toolbox. He also then allegedly transferred hundreds and thousands of dollars from her and her mother’s accounts.

The court heard Zhao twice told police he killed Ms Yan in the unit at her request after his arrest.

Barrister Andrew Hoare KC told Brisbane’s Supreme Court that Zhao lied to police because he wanted to be punished for his “despicable” conduct of not calling for help at the time but rather placing her body in a tool chest on their unit balcony after she died in September 2020.

Taking the witness stand in his own trial Zhao, who has pleaded not guilty to murder, said he and Ms Yan were “best of friends”.

He claimed she died after consuming laughing gas and he failed to tell authorities due to fears he would be in trouble for supplying her the nitrous oxide.

The body of Qiong Yan, a Chinese national, was found in a locked toolbox at a Brisbane unit in 2021. Picture: Police Media

Mr Hoare asked his client why he later told police in Sydney where he was arrested that he had struck and choked Ms Yan, 29, to death.

“I felt ashamed about all my actions following the death of Ms Yan and I hoped to end my life once and for all. I hoped to end my life via the death penalty,” he said through a translator.

“In my cognition it would be normal to receive the death penalty for killing someone.”

During cross-examination Crown prosecutor Chris Cook said police had already told him Australia did not have the death penalty when Zhao asked.

“When you told Mr Hoare today that you hoped the death penalty and felt ashamed, that was a lie,” Mr Cook said.

“No not lies,” Zhao said.

“‘Sometimes I feel guilty, but sometimes I feel I’m doing the right thing’, you said that at Kogarah police station … that’s because you feel guilty about murdering Qiong Yan isn’t it?,” Mr Cook asked.

“Didn’t kill anyone,” Zhao responded.

“Well why did you say that?” Mr Cook asked.

“Because I indeed placed her remains in the box,” Zhao, who has pleaded guilty to interference with a corpse, said.

During his testimony Zhao said he had briefly thought about burning Ms Yan’s body before deciding against it.

Three days after Ms Yan died the court heard Zhao drove to Toowoomba to take photos to send to her mother so she wouldn’t message her daughter, whose phone he was now using, every day.

Mr Cook suggested the trip was to burn Ms Yan’s body which Zhao denied.

“Didn’t have the courage to do it did you?” Mr Cook asked.

“It’s not a question of courage,” Zhao said.

“You were scared of getting caught weren’t you,” Mr Cook pressed.

“By contrast I was more worried about the condemnation from that,” Zhao answered.

“By who?” Mr Cook asked.

“From my own conscience,” Zhao said.

Zhao agreed he liked the high life, expensive things and fast cars but denied being broke or losing $100,000 on poker.

He agreed that he knew Ms Yan had a lot of money but denied killing her in the following exchange.

Yang Zhao pictured entering the Brisbane Watch House after being extradited from Sydney over the alleged murder of Qiong Yan, Brisbane 22nd of July 2021.

Mr Cook: When the time came you killed her to take her money?

Zhao: No.

C: You’re selfish?

Z:This I can admit to.

C: You’re a liar?

Z: Yes.

C: You’re a coward?

Z: Yes.

C: You’re only interested in yourself?

Z: Yes.

C: You’re only interested in self preservation?

Z: Yes.

C: You’re obsessed with money?

Z: To a certain extent yes.

C: You didn’t want to work, as in, get a job work?

Z: Like I said before, I have my own means of making money. So why would I need to find a job?

C: You’d do anything to get money Mr Zhao?

Z: I know what you mean, what you said is correct.

C: You profited from Qiong Yan’s death?

Z:Yes

C: You murdered her for money?

Z: I did not kill her

C: From the 25th of September, 2020 until the 19 of July, 2021 when police located her body on the balcony you did everything you could to get away with her murder

Z: I did all I could to ensure that no one would find her body.

Zhao earlier spoke of the moment he claims to have returned to the unit to find Ms Yan dead.

He told the jury that the two had been “gassing” – inhaling nitrous oxide through a bottle used to make cream – on the night in question.

Zhao said he noticed Ms Yan was “very very red” in the face and had complained of a bleeding nose. She then lay down on the floor, he said.

Qiong Yan’s mother Rongmei Yan arrives at Brisbane Supreme Court. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

At some point Zhao said he fell asleep and woke some time later to a bad smell in the apartment located in the Newport complex on Parkside Circuit.

The then 26-year-old took his dog for a walk before returning and thinking something was “awry” with Ms Yan, 29.

“I shook her and she didn’t have any response and I turned her over,” Zhao told the court.

“After I let go of her I noticed her body was very very cold and I then took note of her face and I noticed that there was blood (under her nose) and some fluid or liquid that had just dried.”

Mr Hoare asked Zhao why he didn’t call for assistance.

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

“After I saw her like that, I thought that nothing I could do would make much of a difference.

“But I thought I should go to her room and get the quilt cover, and I used the quilt cover to cover her.”

Zhao told the jury he had strong suicidal thoughts at that stage and went to a car where he saw an amulet which he decided to place next to Ms Yan’s body.

He then went for a drive before returning to the apartment where he consumed more nitrous oxide and alcohol.

The trial continues on Thursday.