Christchurch estate agent Yanfei Bao murder trial: Chinese national accused of luring her to home and stabbing her, with possible ‘sexual element’ to attack

After a jury of six men and six women was seated this morning, the Crown laid out its case against Cao.

Bao’s baby mum was last seen alive on July 19 last year when she arrived at the house in Trevor Street, suburban Hornby, to see off a potential buyer.

A week later, her disappearance was upgraded to a homicide investigation.

Cao was later charged with murder, although it took police more than a year to find Bao’s remains on private farmland in the Greenpark area south of Christchurch.

This afternoon, prosecutor Cameron Stewart outlined the Crown’s case against Cao.

Crown v. Cao case

Stewart said that while the Crown does not have to prove motive, a graphic photograph of Bao, allegedly bloodied and naked from the waist down, said to have been found on Cao’s phone, could indicate there was a “sexual element” to Cao’s actions. which he denies.

Cao moved to New Zealand from China in March last year, leaving behind a wife and two sons, the court heard.

When he arrived in Christchurch, he lived with his brother-in-law and later helped them buy a new house with a $10,000 cash deposit. Bao was an agent for Harcourts, which she joined early last year.

She kept in touch with Cao, who could not read, write or speak English, through a Chinese messaging app.

He was struggling for work and she helped him find a new job after the initial opportunity didn’t work out.

On the morning of July 19 last year, he texted her asking if she had houses on the market because a friend in China wanted to buy a property, the Crown alleges.

She replied that she had several for sale around the city and asked what the buyer’s needs were, the court heard.

Cao allegedly responded that his friend wanted a three-bedroom house worth up to $650,000 in a good location.

They agreed to meet at a house in Trevor Street, the court heard.

The jury was shown closed circuit television (CCTV) which the Crown said showed each couple appearing at the house.

Bao arrived ahead of him, took photos and videos of the house and called a friend in China to ask about transferring money from China to New Zealand as she had a client interested in buying the house.

The Crown’s case is that Cao attacked her in the house, stabbing her, and then dragged her through the house and put her in the trunk of his car.

He allegedly drove her across town, bought her a shovel and then dumped her in a shallow grave on a farm south of town.

Cao was later arrested at Christchurch International Airport with his passport and a one-way ticket to Shanghai, the Crown said.

“Breakthrough”

The house on Trevor Street was later subjected to a forensic examination. The Crown contends that blood found at the back door and in the front bedroom matched Bao’s DNA, while blood found in the trunk and rear of Cao’s car also matched Bao’s DNA, the Crown told jurors.

Video surveillance from various cameras, as well as telephone interview data and geolocation data also tracked the murder accused’s movements around the city after the attack, the Crown alleges.

For months, police were unable to gain access to Bao’s phone, which was protected by a PIN code unknown to them.

But the cop’s hard work led them to try the number, which worked.

The “breakthrough” meant they could access health data that significantly narrowed the search at the farm – and even revealed the steps taken at the scene, later leading officers to the wooded area where her body was eventually found.

Forensic pathologist Dr Leslie Anderson performed an autopsy on Bao’s body, which was in an “advanced stage of decomposition” by the time she was found.

Anderson concluded that she died as a result of a brutal attack with two distinct stab wounds to the abdomen.

Protection

Defense lawyer Josh MacLeod’s opening statement said the case and evidence were far from simple.

“But what is simple is Mr. Cao’s position. Mr Cao denies killing Ms Bao and the defense position is that the evidence cannot in any way support a conviction. An acquittal would be the only logical result,” he said.

Bao’s high-profile disappearance, which made headlines and leaflets were distributed throughout the city, likely caught the attention of New Zealanders because she appeared to go to work one morning and never returned home.

But MacLeod reminded jurors not to allow sympathies or prejudices to influence their thinking and evaluate the case through a logical lens.

He also questioned how wide the net police were casting in their investigations.

“Don’t rush to conclusions and don’t make assumptions. Logic must prevail,” he said, adding that after the evidence is presented, jurors will be left with reasonable questions.

“Remember, you have to be confident.”

The trial before Judge Lisa Preston, which is expected to hear from more than 70 Crown witnesses, continues tomorrow.

Kurt Baier is the South Island news director for the NZ Herald in Christchurch. He is a senior journalist who joined Herald in 2011.