Overview

• Yang Zhao, a Chinese national on an expired visa, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his flatmate Qiong Yan but admitted to interfering with her corpse.
• Prosecutors allege Zhao killed Yan in September 2020 by striking her head and strangling her, then stored her body in a toolbox on his balcony for nearly 10 months.
• Zhao is accused of impersonating Yan to steal over $700,000, including $411,000 transferred by her mother and $200,000 withdrawn from her bank accounts.
• Evidence presented in court includes Zhao's purchase of a large toolbox, duct tape, and gloves, as well as messages sent from Yan's phone to deceive her family and friends.
• The trial continues in Brisbane's Supreme Court, with the defense questioning the reliability of Zhao's statements and the prosecution presenting evidence of financial motives tied to gambling losses.