On June 13, Chinese national Tingjun Cao was jailed for life for the murder of Christchurch real estate agent and mother Yanfei Bao.
Bao, 44, was stabbed to death in July 2023 and buried in a shallow grave on a farm
The brutal, callous and depraved murder of Yanfei Bao - A Moment in Crime
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The crime shocked New Zealand and this month on Herald podcast A Moment In Crime senior journalist and host Anna Leask tells the story of Yanfei and her killer.
Cao, whom she had met very briefly once, sent Bao a message asking if she had any houses on the market as a friend in China wanted to buy a property.
The mother-of-one replied she had several for sale around the city and asked what the buyer’s needs were. Cao allegedly replied his friend wanted a three-bedroom house up to $650,000 in a good location.
They arranged to meet at a property on Trevor St in Hornby.
Closed-circuit television showed each of them turning up at the house. Bao was never seen leaving.
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She was reported missing later that day when she failed to pick up her young daughter from school.
In the days that followed, Bao’s cellphone and car were found - but there was no trace of her.
Police identified Cao as a suspect early on after a member of the public reported him behaving strangely in a suburban street near where Bao’s phone was found.
Cao was being watched by police when he attempted to flee the country. He was arrested at Christchurch Airport after buying a one-way ticket to China.
He was charged with kidnapping Bao. Later, police found enough evidence to satisfy them he had killed her.
While Cao awaited his trial in prison, police continued to search for Bao.
On July 30, 2024 - after cracking the code on her phone and unlocking vital GPS data - they found the place Cao had hidden his victim’s body.
Cao went on trial in the High Court at Christchurch before Justice Preston and a jury.
In the early stages of the trial, Cao fired his lawyer, choosing to represent himself.
He then mounted a prolonged and unusual self‑defence, claiming the evidence against him was planted by police and that a man named Mr Tang killed Bao.
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But the Crown had a very strong case against Cao, including forensic, CCTV and phone data that backed up their narrative of the crime.
It took the jury just 97 minutes to return a unanimous guilty verdict.
On June 13, Cao was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years and six months.
Justice Lisa Preston said it was “abundantly clear” that Cao’s offending was sexually motivated and that Yanfei put up “desperate resistance” as she was attacked.
Justice Preston said Cao’s “concocted” version of events was “far-fetched and, frankly, ludicrous”.
“It was you... no one else,” she said.
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“There can be no doubt that this was particularly callous offending. On any view, this was a chilling course of conduct in which you showed absolutely no regard for your victim.
“You showed a breathtaking lack of humanity and respect for this woman.
“I am satisfied that your offending justifies a minimum term of at least 17 years. There are no mitigating circumstances. You remain without remorse.”
Listen to the full episode for more on the case of Yanfei Bao and the trial of Tingjun Cao.
A Moment in Crime is available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released monthly.
The series is hosted by Anna Leask, a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years. If you have a crime or case you would like to hear more about, email anna.leask@nzme.co.nz.
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Since 2019, A Moment in Crime has produced over 60 episodes, and has been downloaded more than 2 million times, with listeners in over 180 countries. Past cases covered include the Bain Family murders, Lauren Dickason, James Wallace, the Heavenly Creatures case, and Grace Millane.
It was nominated for Best True Crime Podcast at the 2024 Radio and Podcast Awards.
