Man sentenced to life in jail for murdering housemate, hiding body in toolbox on Brisbane balconyBy Talissa SigantoTopic:Homicide3h ago3 hours agoTue 13 May 2025 at 2:42amThe Newport building in Hamilton, in Brisbane's north, where Ms Yan's body was found in July 2021. (ABC News: Michael Rennie)In short:The body of 29-year-old Qiong Yan was found in a toolbox on an apartment verandah in Hamilton, in Brisbane's north, in July 2021.Her housemate — 30-year-old Yang Zhao — was found guilty of murdering Ms Yan and keeping her body hidden while he impersonated her.What's next?Zhao has been sentenced to life in jail and will be eligible for parole in 2043.abc.net.au/news/yang-zhao-murder-trial-body-toolbox-sentence/105286294Link copiedShareShare articleA man who killed his housemate and kept her body inside a toolbox on their Brisbane apartment balcony for months while he impersonated her for "selfish reasons" has been jailed for at least 22 years.Yang Zhao faced a trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane charged over the death of Qiong Yan in Hamilton in September 2020.Her body was not discovered by police until July 2021.Qiong Yan, 30, was reported missing on April 12, 2021. (Supplied: Queensland Police Service)The 30-year-old Chinese national pleaded guilty to interfering with Ms Yan's corpse, but not guilty to her murder, claiming she died accidentally after intentionally inhaling nitrous oxide.After hearing two weeks of evidence, including from Zhao in his own defence, they convicted him after deliberating for just two hours.Jurors accepted what Zhao had initially confessed to police, that he killed the 29-year-old by hitting her in the head with a gas canister multiple times, then choking her.It was also accepted he then posed as Ms Yan in messages and convinced her mother to send more than $400,000 to her bank account, which he had access to.When the verdict was handed down Ms Yan's mother and other supporters celebrated in the gallery while Zhao nodded his head in the dock.In a statement, 67-year-old Rongmei Yan said the loss of her daughter Qiyong Yan left her in a "deep abyss". (AAP: Darren England)'Anger and hatred'Rongmei Yan, who travelled from China to give evidence at the trial, read her victim impact statement to the court in Mandarin.An English version was also read to the court, in which she said her only daughter's death had caused her "endless emotional trauma"."Every day I wash my face with tears," her statement said."I still cannot accept the fact my daughter is gone."Ms Yan said she was now filled with "anger and hatred" and felt like she had fallen into a "deep abyss"."I feel extremely sad," her statement said."I seem to live absent-minded every day."'Callous disregard'Crown prosecutor Chris Cook told the court it was a "senseless murder" done so with the intention of "profiting from her death"."Mr Zhao killed Ms Yan for his own selfish reasons," he said.Mr Cook told the court the "appalling treatment" of her dead body should warrant an increase to the mandatory non-parole period in Queensland.Mother gives evidence in toolbox murder trialPhoto shows Sign for Brisbane's court precinct, pointing to the Magistrates, District and Supreme Courts.A court has heard how the mother of a woman, whose dead body was left on a Brisbane apartment verandah for months, was allegedly tricked into sending money to her alleged killer."I do push that it be beyond 20 years," he said.The court heard Zhao had no criminal history in Australia, and under federal legislation he would likely face deportation once released.Justice Martin Burns told Zhao he showed a "callous disregard for the life you took"."You acted in the most despicable of ways," he said.Justice Burns said Zhao, who was "obsessed with money", and had a "singular motive" of "naked greed" and sentenced him to life in jail.Zhao was also handed the maximum punishment of five years for interfering with a corpse, however that sentence was ordered to be served concurrently with the other.His minimum non-parole period was increased by two years, and Zhao will be eligible to apply for release in 2043.Posted 3h ago3 hours agoTue 13 May 2025 at 2:42am, updated 45m ago45 minutes agoTue 13 May 2025 at 5:53amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesSussan Ley rejects her Liberal leadership victory is a 'glass cliff' appointmentLIVEPhoto shows Susan Ley talks while standing behind a lectern. 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