Nai Yin Xue killed his wife An An Liu (top right) and left his daughter Qian Xun Xue, also known as "Pumpkin", at a Melbourne train station. Photos / Paul Estcourt, supplied
Nai Yin Xue killed his wife An An Liu (top right) and left his daughter Qian Xun Xue, also known as "Pumpkin", at a Melbourne train station. Photos / Paul Estcourt, supplied
A man who strangled his wife to death with a tie, put her body in the boot of a car and then left their 3-year-old daughter at a train station says he has found peace in drawing and painting during his time in prison.
Nai Yin Xue killed hiswife, An An Liu, at their home in Auckland in 2007 after he suspected she was having an affair.
After her murder, Xue fled to Melbourne with his daughter Qian Xun, but soon abandoned her at a train station, where she was dubbed “Pumpkin” because of the Pumpkin Patch-branded clothing she was wearing when she was found alone and couldn’t immediately be identified.
He was caught in Atlanta in the US state of Georgia by a group of residents who recognised his face, chased and caught him and tied him up until police arrived.
Xue was found guilty in the High Court at Auckland in June 2009 and was sentenced the following month to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 12 years.
Nai Yin Xue and An An Liu with Qian Xun Xie. Photo / Supplied
However, it wasn’t until 2020 at one of his appearances before the New Zealand Parole Board that he expressed remorse for his crimes.
On Monday, Xue made his seventh bid for early release from prison and told the board he had done a lot of “soul searching” since his last appearance in February.
“I have strong determination that this is something I will never commit in my life again,” Xue told the board through an interpreter, referring to his crime.
“I will become a very law-abiding person.”
Xue said that after 16 years behind bars, he had become a very different person and had learned to rein in his “bad temper” and keep calm.
“Through serving a term in prison, I have made a lot of huge changes, and I can properly control myself whenever anything happens,” he said.
Nai Yin Xue protests his innocence after being found guilty of murder. Photo / Herald on Sunday
“Any time I become angry, I will approach professionals to receive counselling and help from them.”
Xue said that previously he had not been very tolerant of other people’s opinions, but had in recent years been able to deal with situations peacefully and calmly.
Xue was asked what his plans for the future were if released from prison.
“The most important thing and what I’m attracted to the most is the oil painting, and something I’d like to do,” Xue said.
Xue said he’d been drawing frequently in prison, had been taking classes, and borrowed several art books from the library and on the whole, it “helped me be very peaceful”.
For the last three weeks, Xue has been working outside the wire as a painter; he’s also been making progress with his English literacy. He told the board that no other inmates spoke Mandarin, which meant he was in a “cut-off” environment.
Xue is currently in talks with several providers of supported accommodation for former inmates outside the wire, but he did not yet have an approved address for release.
The board declined Xue’s early release, and he will be seen in September next year.
Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū, covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.
