Gulf Harbour body trial: Notes left on bed, pushchair to 'serve as a warning'

Lanyue Xiao and her husband Kaixiao Liu.

Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Warning: This story contains content some may find disturbing.

Notes found on a defendant's laptop show that a bed where Shulai Wang was believed to be confined to and a black pushchair believed to be used to dispose of her body were kept as a warning to other followers, the court heard.

The body of the 70-year-old Chinese national was found wrapped in plastic bags in Auckland's Gulf Harbour in March 2024.

Four family members - Kaixiao Liu, a self-claimed leader of a religious group, and his wife Lanyue Xiao, his parents Xiuyun Li and Jingui Liu - are on trial for her kidnapping and manslaughter.

The Crown's case is that Wang came to seek religious instructions from Liu and later died after an unsuccessful escape from the defendants' house in Ōrewa, which was referred to as the "Ark".

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.

Shulai Wang.

Photo: Supplied / Police

Looking for food in rubbish

The court heard further of the six recordings found on a laptop seized when Liu and Xiao were arrested at the Auckland Airport at the end of June 2024.

Police officer Nan Du listened to and translated the recordings which was spoken mostly in mandarin Chinese among Liu, other defendants and five other women staying at the house, who have name suppression.

The court heard earlier that Wang tried to jump to a neighbour's property on 6 March and was brought back by other residents of Liu's house, and a note dated 7 March said there was "no movement".

A white van connected to the defendant was captured on the Gulf Harbour marina's CCTV on 8 March, and Wang's body was found by a fisherman four days later.

In a recording titled "Traitor", which was saved at the end of March 2024, Liu mentioned locking the tent could stop Wang from thinking about harm other women in the house and escape.

"A few days before the traitor escaped, I...gave the order to lock the tent. Why? If the tent was not locked, when you woke up in the morning, the traitor might be gone...," Liu said to others.

Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

"She could strangle you two to death in any way she wants when you are asleep or hide a knife on her body and cut you. She could quietly climb over the wall and escape at night. Right?"

Liu went on talking about how food was withheld from Wang so she couldn't run faster, otherwise another woman in the house wouldn't be able to catch up with her.

A woman mentioned seeing Wang looking for food in a rubbish bin.

Pushchair and bed kept as a warning

Multiple written notes were also found on the laptop seized from Liu and Xiao.

Notes shown to the court earlier mentioned Wang being placed onto a little black bed to make them repent and the Crown mentioned a pushchair was used to transport Wang's body for disposal.

A note dated 7-8 March said: "If we have to do this again, we must cooperate better. I mean if, I hope this will not happen."

"So, the black pushchair and the black bed will not be thrown away but will be kept in our home to serve as a warning," the note went on saying.

Questions of "Who wants to lie on that black bed? Does anyone want to?" were followed by an answer "no", the notes showed.

The note also said "this black colour really represents death" and "I hope those two things will not be used again".

Signs of Wang

Although the police didn't find any items could be attributed to Wang in the defendants' house, SD cards recovered there showed multiple pictures of Wang, second officer in charge of the case Detective Sergeant Shane Page said.

Exhibits shown to the jury included Wang's photos when she was doing gardening, studying, or raising her hands with others, likely doing worshipping, and sometimes with a smile.

Earlier the court heard about residents of the house were asked not to wear Wang's old clothes but donate them.

Another note found on Liu's mobile phone said Wang didn't cherish God's grace but gradually showed "the evil of mankind nature".

"Such as laziness, blasphemy, depravity, lying, greed, deceit, etc," the note said.

"She even took advantage of her seniority and came with a completely indifferent attitude. She believed that no family members can manage her."

Wang, together with her husband and youngest son, was believed to be part of family 12, which was among the at least 37 families devoted to Liu's religious teachings.

Cross-examination

In cross-examination, Xiao questioned Du about a recording played earlier in court which had a line saying "no matter how much she cursed and resented. It couldn't hurt anyone in our family. It would only make herself, would make Shulai suffocate".

"Would you agree? There's no 'suffocate' here," Xiao asked.

Du insisted that his translation was accurate and correct.

Xiao also questioned Page if the five women who could have been witnesses were deported back to China.

Page said the police tried to communicate with them, but they wouldn't engage.

"We can't force people to talk to us. We can't hold them indefinitely. And the decision to deport them was made by the immigration, helped by the police," Page said.

Xiao asked if he would consider calling these women back as witness, and Page reiterated that police can't force people to talk and they also don't have jurisdiction in China.

Liu was again absent from the trial on Wednesday, which continues at the High Court in Auckland.

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