Key Takeaways
- Shulai Wang, a 70‑year‑old Chinese national, was found wrapped in plastic bags in Gulf Harbour, Auckland, in March 2024.
- Four family members – Kaixiao Liu (self‑claimed religious leader), his wife Lanyue Xiao, and his parents Jingui Liu and Xiuyun Li – are on trial for her kidnapping and manslaughter.
- Police recovered six audio recordings from Liu’s laptop, made between 6 and 27 March 2024, that capture discussions about restraining, silencing, and disposing of Wang’s body.
- The recordings reveal Liu advocating the use of iron/steel wire to bind Wang, sealing her mouth with towels, and placing her in a suitcase or box to muffle screams.
- Liu repeatedly framed the actions as “justifiable defence” claimed to be divinely sanctioned, asserting that Wang’s death resulted from her own refusal to repent and from a fall that caused internal injuries.
- The group discussed various disposal methods – burning, burial, or dumping at sea – ultimately agreeing to wrap the body in layered bags with pebbles and sink it, while deliberately puncturing a bag to prevent gas‑induced resurfacing.
- Liu warned that anyone who later reported the crime would share equal culpability, attempting to bind all present to collective responsibility.
- A forensic pathologist testified there was “no anatomical cause of death,” noting no clear trauma or disease that could explain Wang’s demise.
- Despite the lack of physical evidence of injury, the Crown argues that the cumulative effect of confinement, deprivation, and the alleged fall led to Wang’s death.
- The trial is now in its fourth week in the High Court at Auckland; Liu was excused from attending on Tuesday, while the proceedings continue.
Background of the Case
The case centres on the death of Shulai Wang, a 70‑year‑old woman who traveled from China’s Hainan province to New Zealand seeking religious guidance from Kaixiao Liu, who presented himself as the leader of a fringe spiritual group. Wang arrived at Liu’s residence in Ōrewa, where she was subsequently confined, allegedly subjected to harsh treatment, and later found dead wrapped in plastic bags in Gulf Harbour in March 2024. Police launched a homicide investigation after discovering the body, leading to the arrest of Liu, his wife Lanyue Xiao, and his parents Jingui Liu and Xiuyun Li at Auckland Airport in late June 2024. The Crown charges all four with kidnapping and manslaughter, alleging that Wang’s death resulted from unlawful confinement and the group’s attempts to prevent her from “defecting” from their beliefs.
Police Discovery of Recordings
During the arrest, investigators seized a laptop belonging to Kaixiao Liu. forensic analysis uncovered six audio files dated from 6 to 27 March 2024, with titles such as “Warning Min,” “Justifiable Defence,” “How to Treat Defection,” “Sort Out,” “Two Weeks of Seclusion,” and “Traitor.” The recordings captured conversations among Liu, his parents, his wife, and five other women living in the house (who have name suppression). Prosecutor Henry Steele presented these files as core evidence, asserting they reveal a pre‑meditated plan to restrain, silence, and dispose of Wang’s body after she attempted to escape.
Content of the “Warning Min” Recording
The earliest file, “Warning Min,” recorded on the afternoon of 6 March, captures Liu discussing Wang’s alleged plan to eliminate one of the five women—referred to as an “inspector”—by pushing her from a ladder and causing her to “defect.” Liu’s tone is accusatory, framing Wang as a threat to the group’s harmony. He suggests that Wang’s intentions justified the subsequent harsh measures the defendants would take, setting the stage for the later recordings that detail how they intended to neutralize her.
Alleged Abuse and Confinement Details
Subsequent recordings and earlier court testimony describe a pattern of severe deprivation. Wang was reportedly locked in a tent, denied food and medical attention, and at one point placed inside a suitcase. Liu reportedly stated that if Wang had not “truly and thoroughly repented,” she did not need to be fed, claiming she would not consume energy while lying inert. The defendants contemplated various binding methods—handcuffs, soft string, and ultimately iron or steel wire—discussing how to reinforce both her hands and feet, with Xiao mentioning a “figure‑eight” knot and “dead knots” to secure her tightly.
Liu’s Justification and Religious Rationale
Throughout the recordings, Liu repeatedly characterizes the group’s actions as “justifiable defence” sanctioned by God. In the “Justifiable Defence” file (after midnight on 7 March), he instructs others to silence Wang’s cries: first by covering her mouth, then stuffing a towel, and finally placing her in a box or suitcase if the noise persisted. He argues that preventing Wang from “crying or screaming” stops her from doing evil and protects “God’s home.” In later recordings, Liu claims Wang’s death was self‑inflicted, asserting that her refusal to repent and her alleged fall caused fatal internal injuries, thereby absolving the group of direct culpability.
Discussion of Body Disposal
The “How to Treat Defection” recording (afternoon of 8 March) reveals the group’s conversation about what to do with Wang’s corpse after she stopped breathing. Liu suggests that the fall caused broken internal organs, resulting in blood‑tinged urine, and frames her death as self‑brought destruction. When Liu asks, “Now we are going to deal with this body. What are your opinions?” participants propose burning, burial, or dumping the remains in a forest or sea. Liu endorses the sea option, directing that the body be wrapped in layers of plastic bags with pebbles, placed in a car boot, and sunk. He also advises tearing a hole in the bag to release gases that might otherwise cause it to resurface, demonstrating a calculated effort to conceal the evidence.
Shared Responsibility and Threats
Liu attempts to bind all present to collective culpability, warning that anyone who later reports the crime would be equally guilty. He states, “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?” This rhetoric aims to deter defection by framing silence as a moral obligation and implicating every household member in the alleged wrongdoing, regardless of their direct involvement in the acts of restraint or disposal.
Seclusion Period and Later Statements
In the “Two Weeks of Seclusion” file (dated 15 March), Liu discusses the need to lie low after Wang’s death, declaring a self‑imposed two‑week period of seclusion to avoid detection. He reiterates his claim that Wang killed herself, emphasizing that her own actions—not the group’s—led to her demise. Earlier in court, Liu said he had “almost” no contact with the “elderly,” and his mother Xiuyun Li testified she did not know Wang and had never heard her name, attempting to distance themselves from the victim despite living in the same household.
Medical Examiner Findings and Liu’s Claims
Forensic pathologist Dr Kilak Kesha testified that there was “no anatomical cause of death,” meaning no observable trauma, injury, or disease that could definitively explain Wang’s demise. This absence of clear physical evidence complicates the prosecution’s case, which relies on the cumulative effect of confinement, deprivation, and the alleged fall to argue manslaughter. Liu continues to maintain that Wang’s death resulted from her own refusal to repent and from a self‑inflicted fall, asserting that the group’s actions were merely protective and divinely sanctioned.
Current Trial Status and Observations
The trial is now in its fourth week at the High Court in Auckland. Liu was excused from attending on Tuesday by judicial permission, while the proceedings continue with the remaining defendants and witnesses. The case has drawn significant public attention due to its disturbing allegations of religiously motivated abuse, the intricate discussions captured on audio, and the unresolved questions surrounding the exact cause of Shulai Wang’s death. As the trial progresses, the jury will weigh the audio evidence, medical testimony, and the defendants’ explanations to determine culpability for the kidnapping and manslaughter charges.