Emily Ansell: Newstalk ZB reporter on Tingjun Cao being found guilty of murdering Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao

Chinese national Tingjun Cao has been found guilty of murdering Yanfei Bao.

The Christchurch woman's body was found in a shallow grave this year - more than a year after going missing.

Cao killed Bao after a private property viewing - before trying to dispose of evidence and leave the country. 

Newstalk ZB's Emily Ansell has been at court.

She says the jury deliberated for just over an hour-and-a-half on Cao's guilt.

"He left as he walked in this afternoon - with his hands behind his back, his head slightly down, he seemed silent, he seemed quiet throughout the jury reading out their verdict."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the breaking news the Yumphay Bell murder trial, the
jury found Tingjung catch Ol guilty of murdering christ Church
real estate agent yum Fay Bell, and our reporter Emily
Ansel was there and has been there for the past
few weeks. Emily, Hello, great drama.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hello Hello. How's it going?

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Good? Good? Good good. It was not a long deliberation.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Not on the end. There was speculations liberations would be
on the shorter side from those convinced by the Crown's argument,
believing their case was, as Crown lawyers put it, a
slam dunk, and in total, deliberations took just over an
hour and a half from late this afternoon.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Of course, he represented himself. How did he react?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah, he did represent himself. He chose to do that
quite early on. I've definitely seen him far more animated
and frustrated and angry throughout this process compared to how
he reacted. He he left as he walked in this
afternoon with his hands behind his back, his head slightly down.
He seemed silent. He seemed to calm, my meaning and
quiet throughout the jury reading out their verdict. The court

(01:04):
was silent to however, Bough's partner, while he kept a
straight face in it. Initially he did call out as
Chow left, you might want to get a refund of
for that plane ticket, scumbag, before he broke down silently
being comforted by the man sitting next to him and
those around him.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
It certainly seemed like a crazy defense, and can we
ask it was the man all there?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Right? So his defense was one that those around me
say they hadn't seen necessarily those reporters have been, especially
to a few trials themselves. His defense was essentially that
the Crown and police had made up the evidence, that
most of the evidence was falsified and fake. He sometimes
accused police of planting evidence themselves. He also said that

(01:53):
his actions on the day were largely to do with
this man named mister Tungue, who we hadn't heard from
until about until quite late in the trial. Apparently mister
Tongue was sort of directing him around christ Church by
a walkie talkie on where to go to find a job,
and that Tongue had drove his car foxshoes to do so,
had been he was the one who had been seen
cleaning his car, and that you know Chow himself never

(02:17):
actually saw miss Bow at the property in which he
was accused of attacking her and then and then killing
her later that day.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Wow, strange, but it sounds like justice has been done.
So what's next sentencing? When's that schedule for?

Speaker 2 (02:32):
So he has been remanded in custody until next March,
and that is we will just have to wait and
see to see what the judge decides on that. The now,
the sort of six and a half week trial was
supposed to be six is now over, which I'm sure
will be a relief to the jury, to lawyers, and
to those loved ones of Missyiantepal.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
And how much of it did you get to see?

Speaker 2 (02:54):
I was here for most of it. I think there
was about a week where I wasn't in court, But
I have been here through I was actually there when
she went missing, and so I've been following it for
a long time. So it is a relief, I guessed
to see this wrapped up. But yeah, we'll be waiting
to see what happens next year.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Good work, Emily, write the book, and I thank you
so much for your time.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
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