Pathologist weighs in at Auckland body-in-bag, manslaughter trial of Kaixiao Liu and family

The former mystery woman found wrapped in plastic bags and floating in Auckland’s Gulf Harbour had suffered bruises on her wrists and forearms before her death, a jury was told today at the trial of four family member co-defendants accused of causing the 70-year-old’s death.

That could be an indication that Shulai Wang’s wrists had been bound, pathologist Dr Kilak Kesha said from the witness box as he also outlined injuries to the woman’s head and face.

Kesha’s testimony came as prosecutors began their second week of presenting evidence in the kidnapping and manslaughter trial of alleged religious sect leader Kaixiao Liu, his wife, Lanyue Xiao, and his parents, Xiuyun Li and Jingui Liu.

Each defendant has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors have said the defendants were sharing a home in Ōrewa with Wang and five other women - all of whom were overstayers who had arrived from China for religious instruction. Wang’s body was discovered by a fisherman not too far from the home in March 2024, resulting in a months-long investigation in which police first sought to find out the woman’s identity.

She was eventually linked to the religious sect, called “The Ark”, through serial numbers on rice bags that were found filled with rocks along with her body, prosecutors said during their opening address last week.

Wang had somehow found herself singled out for punishment after joining the group, authorities said. They alleged the defendants locked her in a tent at the property, allowed physical discipline and withheld food. Kaixiao Liu allegedly called her “evil”.

In the witness box today, Kesha ticked off numerous injuries discovered during his post-mortem medical exam, which occurred before the woman had been identified.

“She had a bruise over the left side of the forehead, the right cheek, the nose and around the eye,” he said. “She also had contusions around the left eye; upper left cheek; and front of the right ear and front of the left ear; the back, left side of the head; the back of the left ear; and again on the back of the left side of the head; the back of the right ear; and the back right side of the head.”

The largest area of bruising, he said, measured about 18cm by 15cm over her right eye, forehead and cheek.

The body weighed only 25.6kg, which Kesha described as below average but not something that seemed suspicious. At 5 foot, 3 inches, the woman had a small frame to begin with and the body loses weight during decomposition, he said.

“There was no evidence of prolonged or chronic weight loss,” he said.

The bruises, Kesha told jurors, would not have been fatal. He was unable to identify a specific medical cause of death.

Each of the defendants has opted to represent themselves. But lawyer Philip Hamlin - serving in a standby capacity for Li, the alleged sect leader’s mother - was allowed by the defendants to cross-examine the expert witness.

The size of the bruises to the woman’s head and face could have been affected by decomposition “to some extent”, Kesha said.

“We’re likely to hear evidence about the woman being hit on her temple by one of the other women. Could that have caused some sort of bruising?” Hamlin asked.

“Yes, around the eyes,” Kesha responded.

Hamlin continued: “It’s a bit unusual, but if this lady was slapping her face really hard herself, could this have caused some of the bruising you found?”

It could, the witness responded.

Hamlin also suggested the woman could have fallen from a fence and hit her face on the ground.

The suggestions followed a revelation in court on Friday that one of the five other women living in the house had earlier told an officer in Mandarin Chinese: “I didn’t look after her well. She fell over and [was] injured. It’s nothing to do with my friends.”

The woman said nothing else, and did not elaborate on who she was referring to, Detective Constable He Gong told jurors.

All five women were described as having only smiled and clasped their hands in prayer when police tried to engage with them. All were deported to China five months after the body was discovered. The defendants have told jurors they want the women brought back to New Zealand so they can be called to give evidence.

Hamlin also pointed out during cross-examination of the pathologist today that Wang was found to have an abscess in an abdominal muscle. It could have resulted in a fatal sepsis infection, the defence lawyer suggested.

Such a scenario was possible, Kesha replied. But there was no evidence of infection in her internal organs, the expert said.

Justice Mathew Downs sent jurors home just before lunch today, with instructions to return for the rest of Kesha’s evidence tomorrow morning. Kaixiao Liu has indicated he also would like to question the pathologist.

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.

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