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Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Desert Rd shallow grave death: Two men lose name suppression

By Chelsea Boyle
Chelsea Boyle is a reporter for the New Zealand Herald·NZ Herald·
28 Jul, 2020 09:53 PM2 mins to read

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Zhicheng Gu is one of two men accused of murdering Ricky Wang. Photo / Sam Hurley
Zhicheng Gu is one of two men accused of murdering Ricky Wang. Photo / Sam Hurley

Zhicheng Gu is one of two men accused of murdering Ricky Wang. Photo / Sam Hurley

Two men charged in relation to a mysterious death of a missing man have lost name suppression.

Bao Chang Wang's body was found in a shallow grave covered in concrete near the Desert Rd years after he was last seen alive.

Before the discovery was made, his family believed the man known as Ricky had abandoned them and moved overseas in 2017.

Today in the High Court at Auckland two of the men charged in relation to the death had their name suppression orders lapse.

Read More

  • Desert Rd murder case: Two men lose name suppression - NZ Herald
  • Desert Road human remains case now a homicide: police - NZ Herald
  • Desert Rd murder case: Fourth man appears in court over death of Bao Chang Wang - NZ Herald
  • Weather: Heavy snow closes main highways in central North Island - NZ Herald
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Zhicheng Gu can now be named as one of the two men accused of murder, a charge which he denies.

The other accused still maintains name suppression. The pair are due to stand trial next July.

Gaoxiang Yu also lost name suppression today, he is charged with accessory to murder after the fact, which he has pleaded not guilty to.

In all, five people were arrested and charged over Wang's alleged murder.

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Focus: A shallow grave near the Desert Road
Focus: Buried in a shallow grave near the Desert Road. Two men have now been charged with murder in relation to Ricky Wang?s disappearance. Video / File ...
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      NOW PLAYING • Focus: A shallow grave near the Desert Road
      Focus: Buried in a shallow grave near the Desert Road. Two men have now been charged with murder in relation to Ricky Wang?s disappearance. Video / File ...

      Yesterday, Yanlong Piao was sentenced to 14 months in prison after earlier pleading guilty to being an accessory to murder after the fact.

      It was revealed that Piao helped to dispose of his body and keep the alleged murder a secret for years - telling the dead man's family he was overseas.

      Piao is the first involved with the alleged murder to be sentenced.

      Yanlong Piao was jailed for his part in the alleged murder. Photo / Sam Hurley
      Yanlong Piao was jailed for his part in the alleged murder. Photo / Sam Hurley

      A tip-off in March led police to the grisly discovery of human remains buried on the side of Rangipo Intake Rd, off the Desert Rd near Tongariro.

      Discover more

      New Zealand|crime

      Desert Rd death: Man jailed for role in alleged shallow grave murder

      27 Jul 10:00 PM

      Driver caught after abandoning car at river ford

      05 Aug 05:00 PM

      The body, which police say "had been in place for a period of time", was exhumed and an autopsy confirmed the case was officially a homicide inquiry.

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