Desert Rd shallow grave death: Two men lose name suppression

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.

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.

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

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.

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.