Man Accused of Murdering Woman and Stuffing Her in a ‘Body Box' on His Balcony also Stole Her Identity and $600,000, Prosecutors Claim

• Yang Zhao, 30, is on trial and has been accused of murdering his former flatmate Qiong Yan in 2020
• Prosecutors alleged that he then used her phone to steal her identity and approximately $600,000 from the victim and her family
• Zhao pleaded not guilty to murder but did plead guilty to misconduct of a corpse

A man is on trial for the murder of his flatmate, whom he allegedly stuffed in a “body box” and impersonated for a year in a bid to steal money, according to reports.

Yang Zhao, 30, pleaded not guilty to the September 2020 murder of Qiong Yan. However, he did plead guilty to misconduct of a corpse after her body was found “concealed in a toolbox” on the balcony of their apartment in Hamilton, Australia, on July 19, 2021, News.com.au, 9 News and Brisbane Times reported.

Chinese national Yan was reported missing on April 12, 2021. Her body was located at Hamilton two months later and identified by family, Queensland Police previously stated in a July 2021 report. At the time the crime was committed, Zhao was 26.

An investigation was subsequently launched involving the South Brisbane District and the Homicide Investigation Unit, per the report.

Zhao was on a student visa in Australia, which expired in April 2020, according to reports.

Prosecutors claim that Zhao murdered Yan by “delivering a blow or blows” to her head and strangling her, according to News.com.au. He then allegedly stuffed her body in the toolbox to conceal the murder.

Over the next 10 months, the defendant allegedly assumed the victim’s identity as he stole her phone and gained access to her banking apps, transferring $200,000 from her bank account to his, prosecutors claim. He also convinced Yan’s mother in China using her phone to transfer over $400,000 into her account for him to steal, they say. At the time, he reportedly struggled with gambling debts, according to Brisbane Times.

Crown prosecutor Chris Cook told the court Zhao “loved to gamble” and “lost lots of money,” per 9 News. “Murdering for money can be a profitable crime if you get away with it. And that’s exactly what Yang Zhao did for 10 months,” he said. 

“The term ‘body box’ is Mr Zhao’s own words … Mr Zhao admitted to police on July 19 and July 22 that he murdered Ms Yan and put her in that toolbox,” Cook alleged.

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Yan’s friend in Sydney filed a missing persons report after “months of receiving strange messages,” 9 News reported.

“Once Ms Yan was reported missing – the Crown alleges there was extensive self-preservation by Mr Zhao, driven by selfishness and cowardice,” Cook said, per the outlet.

The trial continues.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Supreme Court for further comment but did not hear back at the time of publication.