Intense love affair led to murder, court told

Nancy Peterson, the woman found dead at The Warehouse carpark in New Lynn this year, was allegedly killed by her lover with a single blow to the head.

The murder is said to have happened early on April 30 and just hours before the accused's wife was due home from an overseas trip.

Yesterday, in the North Shore District Court, details of an affair between Mrs Peterson and Fenglin Li, the man accused of her murder, emerged for the first time.

Crown prosecutor Kirsten Gray said Mrs Peterson married a New Zealand man in 2000 but the couple were financially independent and a language barrier limited conversation to "discussing mundane things".

Mrs Peterson worked long hours at the New Lynn Night Pearl, a massage parlour she owned but her husband knew little of.

It was through the parlour that she met the accused, panelbeater Fenglin Li, 42.

Miss Gray said Li was also married - to a woman who worked in the parlour and was introduced to him by Mrs Peterson.

An affair developed between Mrs Peterson and Li early last year. It intensified after Li's wife went overseas last November to seek treatment for an illness.

Early this year, the relationship developed to the stage where Mrs Peterson wanted to have his baby.

But in April things turned sour with the impending return of Mrs Li from overseas.

Mrs Peterson became jealous and was very unhappy. On April 30, she left work about 2.30am and went to Li's home. By 3.42am she was dead.

She had been struck in the head with an object, probably a hammer, dragged to her car and driven to the New Lynn Warehouse carpark.

A security guard noticed the car at 3.42am but it was too dark to see what was inside.

The following night, when he saw the car in the same place, he inspected further and found Mrs Peterson's body on the back seat.

During the investigation police found a partial dusty shoeprint on the driver's mat. They also found shoes matching that print at Li's home.

ESR scientists said yesterday that particles found at his workshop were also found in the dust print, and the print pattern matched that of his shoes.

But the forensic experts also said the prints could have been made by someone with a similar shoe pattern.

Defence lawyer Steve Bonnar said this was the Crown's only forensic evidence and it was not enough to send Li to trial.

"There is no dispute in this case that [Nancy] and Mr Li were in a relationship and he would have had opportunity to be in the car ... "

But Justices of the Peace Dale Riley and Angela Siu found there was enough evidence to commit Li for trial. He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in the High Court at Auckland next month.