Overview

• Yang Zhao, a 26-year-old Chinese national, is accused of killing his flatmate Qiong Yan in September 2020 in their Brisbane apartment.
• Prosecutors allege Zhao concealed Yan's body in a toolbox on his balcony for nearly 10 months before police discovered it in July 2021.
• Zhao is accused of impersonating Yan through her phone to deceive her family and authorities, sending over 2,000 messages and stealing more than $700,000.
• The alleged financial crimes include transferring Yan’s Porsche Panamera into his name, selling her assets, and withdrawing funds from her bank accounts.
• The trial, which opened in the Queensland Supreme Court, is set to hear evidence from witnesses, forensic analyses, and Zhao’s police interviews.