Gulf body trial: Recordings of defendants discussing body disposal
Residents at a house at the centre of a police investigation into Shulai Wang's death were asked about how to deal with her body, recordings played in court today have revealed.
By Liu Chen of RNZ
Warning: This story contains content some may find disturbing.
The 70-year-old Chinese national was found wrapped in plastic bags in Auckland's Gulf Harbour in March 2024, and four family members are on trial for her kidnapping and manslaughter.
They are Kaixiao Liu, a self-claimed leader of a religious group, his wife Lanyue Xiao, and his mother Xiuyun Li and his father Jingui Liu.
The Crown's case is that Wang came from China's Hainan province to seek religious instructions from Liu and later died after an unsuccessful escape from the defendants' house in Ōrewa.
Police found six recordings of interest on the laptop of Liu, when he and Xiao were arrested at the Auckland Airport at the end of June the same year.
Dated from March 6-27, 2024, the files were named Warning Min, Justifiable Defence, How to Treat Defection, Sort Out, Two Weeks of Seclusion and Traitor, Crown prosecutor Henry Steele said.
'Iron wire' and 'suitcase'
The recorded conversations were among the defendants and five other women who stayed with the family and who have name suppression.
In a recording saved on the afternoon of March 6 – Warning Min – Liu was heard talking about how Wang had planned to get rid of one of the "inspectors" – one of the five women – by pushing her down from a ladder and "defect".
The court heard earlier that Wang tried to jump to a neighbour's property on March 6, and was brought back by other residents of Liu's house.
Wang was at one stage locked up in a tent, denied food and medical help and might have been placed into a suitcase before her death, the Crown said earlier.
"The god gave her such a heavy lesson to let her repent, but she still didn't repent and went in the wrong directions," Liu said in the recording, adding that Wang could repent and "gradually recover and gradually enter the house".
Liu also said that Wang did not need to be provided with food if "she hasn't truly and thoroughly repented", and there would not be any problems because she was just lying there and not consuming any energy.
The recordings revealed that Liu, his parents, and Xiao were talking about how to tie Wang up, floating ideas including using handcuffs, soft string, and metal wire.
"Use iron wire then... either iron wire or steel wire will do," Liu said.
"Now go and reinforce, reinforce. Both hands and feet, reinforce both hands and feet."
Xiao was heard talking about if the way to tie both of her hands would be resembling a "figure-eight" and tying "dead knots".
In another recording saved just after midnight on March 7 – Justifiable Defence – Liu was telling others to remind Wang not to cry or scream.
"As she kept crying or screaming, stick on her mouth then. [If] she is still crying or screaming with a sealed mouth, stuff a towel then," he said.
"If she is still crying or screaming after stuffing a towel, then have to put into the box/suitcase. This is more fixed. More soundproof."
'Deal with this body'
In How to Treat Defection, which was recorded in the afternoon of March 8, Liu told others that Wang could have repented and recovered, but she still "resented and cursed" and this, together with the fall, killed her.
He said one of the women went to check her at noon the previous day and Wang was still breathing, but later drew her last breath.
"It was the fall that took her life. Do you understand? She must have had some broken internal organs. So the urine that came out when she was in that small bed was mixed with blood. The internal organs were broken," Liu told others.
"That was an evil person bringing destruction upon herself, causing her own death. Do you understand?"
Liu said: "Everything we did is justifiable defence, fixed her in place, not letting her do evil again, not letting her destroy God's home, also helping her rest quietly."
Earlier in court, pathologist Dr Kilak Kesha said there was "no anatomical cause of death", meaning no physical injury or signs of disease that could have caused Wang's death.
"You see, Shulai, who didn't obey the way of the God, didn't obey the rules. She is dead now, in the garage, already dead," Liu said.
"Now we are going to deal with this body. What are your opinions?" Liu asked the group in the house, including his parents and other women.
People were heard giving answers ranging from burning it, burying it in the ground, and discarding it in a forest or sea.
Liu endorsed the idea of discarding the body to the sea and told others to say that Wang fell to her death and then was buried at sea.
Liu was telling others that the body needed to be wrapped in layers of bags with pebbles and put in the boot of a car for disposal at sea.
He reminded others to tear a hole in the rubbish bag, in case gas emitting from the body might cause the bag to resurface.
People were also being reminded that everyone present needed to shoulder the same responsibility.
"So in the future, whenever any evil thought comes up and says 'I'm going to report them because they killed people', then you should also know that you are the same. Do you understand?" Liu said.
Liu said Wang's body could be consumed by the sea and disappear.
In Two Weeks of Seclusion, recorded on March 15, Liu was talking about not going out to buy groceries and warning others to be careful.
"What happened was such a big thing, so we must hide properly. These two weeks I considered seclusion," Liu said.
Liu emphasised that Wang killed herself and harmed herself.
Earlier in court, Liu said he "almost" had no contact with the "elderly".
His mother Li also said she did not know Wang and had never heard of this name.
Liu was not in court Tuesday for the trial, agreed by the judge.
The trial, now in its fourth week, continues at the Auckland High Court.