2 convicted in Pta murder trial

2008-07-25 20:37

Pretoria - Two Chinese nationals were convicted on Friday of murdering a Chinese businessman and his family and dumping their bodies in manhole near Midrand four years ago.

Acting Judge Khami Makhafola convicted businessmen Siyuan Liu, 48, and Jiansen Bai, 54, of the murders of businessman Jia-Bin Li, his wife Zin and daughters Louise, 16, and Ruby, 4, in November 2004.

Li, his wife and youngest daughter were lured to Liu's house in Centurion where Li was assaulted and forced to sign certain documents before he, his wife and little daughter were tied up and strangled.

Their eldest daughter, Louise, was strangled elsewhere before her body was transported to Liu's house.

All four bodies were wrapped in plastic and dumped in a manhole near the Samrand off ramp, where their bodies were discovered over a number of days.

Judge Makhafola accepted the evidence of an accomplice, Yan Bo Zhang, and discharged him from prosecution.

Zhang testified that he had witnessed the two accused strangling Li and his wife before strangling little Ruby as well.

This was after Li was beaten up and forced to sign a document during an argument about the R3.7m he owed Liu and another businessman.

He had later seen them taking Louise's body, wrapped in a blanket with a rope around her neck, out of the boot of Bai's car.

Zhang said he and another man had helped to wrap the bodies, place them in Liu's vehicle and dump them.

The judge said DNA evidence that Li's blood was found in Liu's garage and a hair of little Ruby in his vehicle corroborated Zhang's evidence.

The court also accepted the evidence of Li's sister, who said Bai had told her Liu was "80% involved" in her brother's disappearance and that Liu had told her he "detested" her brother because he owed him a lot of money.

Makhafola said although Zhang had not seen Louise being murdered, the only conclusion that could be drawn was that both accused were responsible for her death as well.

He could, however, not find that Louise had been kidnapped before she was strangled and therefore acquitted them on a kidnapping charge.

He said Liu, who did not testify, could not rebut the damning case against him.

Bai's claim that he was in Monte Casino at the time and had nothing to do with the murders was unconvincing, the judge said.

The trial will continue on September 17, when sentencing proceedings will begin.

- SAPA