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Murder of Yanfei Bao

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2023 killing of a real estate agent in New Zealand

Murder of Yanfei Bao
LocationChristchurch, New Zealand
Date19 July 2023; 17 months ago (2023-07-19)
Attack typeKidnapping, homicide
VictimYanfei Bao, 1979 – 2023 (aged 43–44)
AccusedTingjun Cao

On 19 July 2023, Harcourts real estate agent Yanfei Bao went missing in Christchurch's Hornby suburb. The New Zealand Police mounted a missing person's search in the Christchurch area. On the 24th of July 2023, Tingjun Cao was charged with her kidnapping after attempting to flee to China on the 22nd of July 2023. On 26 July 2023, the Police launched a homicide investigation into Bao's disappearance. More than a year later after her disappearance, Yanfei Bao's remains were found in a shallow grave by police on rural farmland near Lincoln on 30 July 2024.

Following a seven week trial, Cao was convicted of murdering Bao.

Background

Yanfei Bao had recently joined the real estate company Harcourts as a real estate agent, having a prior background in sales.

Disappearance

Real estate agent Yanfei Bao was last seen in the suburb of Hornby, Christchurch, New Zealand on the morning of 19 July 2023. It has been reported that she was due to show a potential buyer through a property on Trevor Street. Later in the morning she rang her friend Jin Tian and had a four-minute conversation with her. During the conversation, Bao asked Tian how someone she was working with could transfer NZ$600,000 from China to pay cash for a house.

Search and investigation

Bao was reported missing after she failed to collect her daughter from after school care later that day. Her car was found that evening in the suburb of Wigram. Her cellphone was found two days after her disappearance on the Christchurch Southern Motorway, several kilometres away from where she had last been seen.

52-year-old Tingjun Cao was charged of kidnapping Yanfei Bao was arrested at Christchurch Airport after booking a one-way international plane ticket to China on 22 July 2023. On 26 July 2023 the New Zealand Police said that they had launched a homicide investigation into Bao's disappearance.

On 31 July 2023, Police temporarily suspended their search due to high water levels in the Halswell River and Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora. By that time, Police had received over 200 pieces of information related to Bao's disappearance and searched three properties as part of "Operation Helo." Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves also told the public they were looking for a silver Mitsubishi sedan, and continued to ask the public for any sightings of one.

On 7 August 2023, Police shifted their search to roads and farmland near Christchurch's Greenpark suburb. On 8 August, Reeves confirmed that Police had recovered more items of interest.

On 6 September 2023, Police confirmed that they were searching several new areas in Christchurch and Rolleston. Authorities continued to focus on the Halswell River and Greenpark area in October. Police asked for public help locating clothing related to the disappearance and a roughly 1 metre long flat-bottomed spade.

On 19 January 2024, Reeves reiterated that Police were still searching for Bao. She stated that Police were interested in a silver Mitsubishi 380 with the registration DPH101 and sightings in the wider Christchurch area beyond Lake Ellesmere.

On 19 July 2024, Reeves confirmed that the Police investigation into Bao's disappearance was still "very active" and that staff were in the process of finalising evidence ahead of the trial. She reaffirmed the Police's commitment to recovering Bao's remains in order to provide closure for her family. By July 2024, the police investigation team had been reduced to eight investigators. Reeves confirmed that a new investigative lead had led Police to re-establish search activity in a previously-searched area and a newly identified area. Reeves also confirmed that Police had searched Christchurch's Greenpark neighbourhood about three weeks previously but failed to find anything relevant to their investigation.

On 30 July 2024, Police announced that remains believed to be that of Yanfei Bao were found at a rural property in Greenpark a Neighbourhood in Lincoln. The remains were said to be in a shallow grave just 15cm deep along the treeline at the property. Over 60 police officers were involved in the Tuesday search taking 90 minutes to locate the grave. In a statement Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves said "new information that had come to light that had given us quite a specific direction for a location of we needed to be". Harcourts Gold Chief Executive Operations Manager Jason Wills extended his condolences on behalf of Harcourts.

On 31 July 2024 a post-mortem autopsy took place and on 2 August 2024, police confirmed the remains found on the Greenpark property were that of Yanfei Bao. During the announcement Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves stated, "This news brings to a close a key aspect of our investigation and Yanfei will now be returned to her family". Police confirmed a scene examination had taken place on the involved property.

Legal proceedings

On 15 August 2023, Police charged the 52 year old man accused of Bao's kidnapping with a single murder charge. Police also confirmed they were seeking information from the public about a tracksuit, top, and spade. That same day, the suspect pleaded not guilty to the murder charge through his lawyer. The accused was remanded into custody until 1 September 2023.

On 1 September 2023, the murder suspect was identified as Tingjun Cao. His lawyer no longer sought interim name suppression. Cao appeared before the Christchurch High Court via audio-visual link. He was remanded in custody, reappearing at the high court by audio-visual 10 November while his lawyer was granted additional time for preparation. Police custody was continued until his next court appearance in December 2023.

A tentative trial date was set for 24 October 2024, the trial started early on 21 October 2024. Tinjun Cao opted for a jury trial.

On 23 August 2024, now 53 year old Tingjun Cao appeared via video link before Justice Rob Osborne at the Christchurch High Court. Tingjun Cao's lawyer Joshua Macleod said in a statement, "From our perspective everything is still on track”.

Trial

First week

On 21 October 2024, ahead of schedule the murder trial of Yanfei Bao began with the selection of a jury of six men and six women. The trial was set for six weeks with Justice Lisa Preston presiding at the Christchurch High Court. There were expected to be 80 witness including Bao's husband Paul Gooch, family, friends, police officers, forensic experts and medical professionals.

During the first day, Tinjun Cao pleaded not guilty through an interpreter. The Crown prosecutor Cameron Stuart delivered the Crown's opening address, arguing that Cao had stabbed Yanfei Bao inside a Trevor St property he had intended to buy before putting her body into a car and hiding it on farmland. He said there was possible sexual motive behind Cao's murder of Bao, citing a deleted photo found on the defendant's phone. Stuart also said that forensic evidence confirmed that Bao's blood was found inside the property and that CCTV footage, phone polling and geolocation data were used to track Cao's movements. Stuart also explained that Police had been able to unlock Bao's phone in May 2024, allowing them to use the cellphone data to find Bao's remains and track Cao's movements following her disappearance.

Defence lawyer Josh McLeod delivered the defence's opening address, stating that Cao denied murdering Bao and that the defence position was that the evidence did not support a guilty verdict. He claimed that the evidence was "much muddier than the Crown would lead you to believe" and urged the jury not to let emotions "cloud their judgment." McLeod also questioned the scope of the Police investigation.

On 22 October, court proceedings resumed after a two hour delay to allow Tinjun Cao's translator to properly translate the 21 October 2024 proceedings. Translation issues continued throughout the day with many questions answers needing to be repeated. The exhaustive process led to an early adjournment. The Crown's first witness was Detective Constable Andrew Calder, the officer in charge of the exhibits for Operation Helo. Calder provided a large amount of exhibitions that will be used throughout the trial including a main photograph booklet, a post-mortem photo booklet, a sensitive photo booklet, a map booklet, a CCTV stills booklet, live photographs from Yanfei Bao’s cell phone, stills taken from her phone, a telecommunications booklet, CCTV footage, videos from Bao’s phone, videos of a traffic stop, Tingjun Cao's police interview and the transcript of that interview. During cross examination, defence lawyer Colin Eason questioned Calder about exhibits that were considered irrelevant. Calder responded that the officer in charge of the investigation was in charge of selecting exhibits and confirmed there were a total of 539 exhibits for Operation Helo.

That same day, the court heard testimony from Bao's partner Paul Gooch, who recounted the events on the day of Bao's disappearance. He told the court that he sensed something was wrong after Bao failed to pick up her daughter from childcare, which he described as out of character. While Police had advised Gooch to wait until the following day to report Bao's disappearance on 19 July 2023, he suspected something sinister had happened to Bao and filed a Police report at 10:30 pm that night.

On 23 October, Justice Preston told the court that the defendant Tinjun Cao had waived his right to attend court proceedings during his trial. She instructed the jury that his absence from court proceedings was not an admission of guilt. Preston said that Cao's counsel would continue to represent him during court proceedings before dismissing the jury for the day.

On 24 October, Preston told the jury that the court had made arrangements for Cao to have the evidence interpreted to him through headphones if he chose not to attend court proceedings. That same day, the court heard evidence from the former Trevor St property owner Brenda Schrader, real estate agent Steven Golding, Bao's friend Qing (Sandy) Zhang, real estate agent and colleague Corina Grey, Trevor St neighbour Graham Macdonald and builder Mervin Boclot. Boclot told the court that he had chatted with a woman matching Bao's disappearance. His testimony prompted Cao to accuse Boclot of lying and storm out of the courtroom. After Cao returned, Boclot was cross-examined by Eason. Following the cross-examination, Cao ripped several documents and threw them to the floor.

On 25 October, the court heard testimony from Bao's friends Qi Qi, Jin Tian and Cao's brother-in-law Shengxian Xu. Qi Qi told the court that Bao had told her that a friend of a customer was chasing her but that she had rebuffed him. Jin Tian told the court that Bao had asked her for advice on transferring large sums of money from China on behalf of a customer. Xu told the court that Cao went to meet with Bao on his behalf to pay for the Trevor St property while he was away in China.

Second week

On 28 October, the court heard testimony from Christchurch man Jason Saunders, who recalled seeing a Nissan car driving erratically in the Wigram area on the evening that Bao went missing. Saunders was unable to see the vehicle's registration number, the driver's physical description or other passengers. Saunders contacted the Police after reading a news article about Police searching for a Nissan Dualis car in relation to Bao's disappearance.

On 29 October, the Crown played footage of a man meeting Cao's description entering the Home and Castle Hardware and Stuff hardware store in New Brighton and buying a spade on the same day that Bao was allegedly murdered. Cao's lawyers also cross-examined the shop owner Dennis Shrimpton. The defendant objected to the footage and began leaping, shouting and motioning towards his defence counsel following the cross-examination. He was escorted from the courtroom. The court also heard testimony from Chun-Chieh (Jason) Li, who had briefly employed Cao at his Vision Kitchens joinery business when he arrived in New Zealand around March 2023.

On 30 October, the court heard evidence from Police detective inspector Joel Syme about Bao's cellphone. Syme told the court that phone had been found in bushes near Christchurch's Southern Motorway the day after she disappeared. Using the phone, Police were able to track Bao's cellphone movements around Halswell Village and Tai Tapu cell tower. The court also heard testimony from witnesses Neil Clode and Ian Flatley about a suspicious car in the area. The car was identified as a silver Mitsubishi sedan with the registration DPH101 that was registered to Cao.

On 1 November, Justice Preston adjourned the trial due to Tingjun Cao's physical health. She told the jury that it was important for Cao to continue to participate in his trial.

Third week

On 4 November, the trial of Tingjun Cao was adjourned due to a juror's illness.

On 6 November, Justice Preston confirmed that the defendant Tingjun Cao had sacked his defence team and would represent himself during the trial. His former defence lawyers Colin Eason and Joshua Macleod were appointed as standby counsel. An interpreter would also translate for Cao. That same day, Cao cross-examined Senior sergeant Paul Manhire, who had given evidence about Bao's discovery in a shallow grave in July 2024.

Seventh week and verdict

On 4 December 2024, Tingjun Cao was found guilty of murdering Yanfei Bao by the Christchurch High Court jury. Bao's partner Paul Gooch welcomed the verdict and criticised Cao for his lack of remorse and humanity during the trial proceedings. Gooch also thanked the New Zealand Police for bringing Cao to justice and his stepdaughter's school "for helping her navigate the incredibly traumatic experience." Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves also welcomed the resolution of Bao's murder case and expressed empathy with Bao's family. Cao was remanded in custody for sentencing, scheduled for 7 March 2025.

Responses

By 31 July 2023, a Givealittle fundraising page was established by Bao's friend Vani Liu and by the time it had ended in August 2023, over NZ$50,000 was raised to help her immediate family, and relatives from China.

See also

References

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