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A man accused of murdering his ex-wife with a hunting knife in broad daylight on a West Auckland suburban street says he never thought of hurting her or using a knife to stab her.
Li Manchao.
Photo: RNZ / Anneke Smith
Li Manchao is on trial in Auckland High Court after pleading not guilty to murder and violating a protection order.
The 65-year-old man is accused of attacking his ex-wife Yang Zhimin on Westgate Drive, Massey, around 8:30 a.m. on July 29, 2019.
It’s the Crown case that Li planned and arranged to kill Yang after the High Court ruled against him in a marital property dispute.
Early in the trial, the court heard that Yang was stabbed 12 times in the face, neck, chest, stomach and arms on the suburban street and died at the scene.
Providing evidence through an interpreter, Li told the court how he and Yang arrived in New Zealand in the early 2000s.
When questioned by defense attorney Sam Wimsett, Li said he and Yang told immigration they were married, but admitted it was not a real marriage.
They had an arrangement in which Li would pay for the immigration application costs, and once they were successful, he would pay her an additional amount.
Li said that not long after their citizenship or residency was confirmed in 2004, the couple separated.
That sparked a series of legal disputes between them.
When asked by Wimsett if the financial arrangement they agreed to went according to plan, Li said no.
He said that while paying him the initial amount, Yang asked for more money.
“To be honest, it was my fault,” Li said through the interpreter. “If I paid you this money, everything would be fine.”
Li’s mental health deteriorated after she parted ways with Yang. He briefly moved to Australia and at one point returned to China for treatment.
He said that he had been admitted to the hospital many times after having a mental breakdown and was prescribed antidepressants.
He also tried to commit suicide twice.
Wimsett asked Li about his mental state in the days leading up to Yang’s death. Li said she had stopped taking her medication and did not think she was sleeping.
When asked by Wimsett how he felt, Li said that he sometimes felt “very, very dizzy in my head.”
“I can’t describe it, I felt really bad.”
Li said he felt he had “so many people” arguing in his head and that it was difficult for him to “find peace.”
When asked if he had ever thought of hurting or stabbing Yang, Li said that he never had.
He said that he did not remember stabbing Yang and that he could not accept that he murdered her.
“If the police brought one of those lie detection machines, they would get an accurate result.”
Wimsett asked him if he agreed to stabbing Yang.
“I accept that, a lot of people saw it, so it must be a fact,” Li said.
During cross-examination by Crown Prosecutor Nick Webby, Li was asked about the hunting knife that was used to stab Yang.
Li said that in China, a knife would be considered a souvenir and an impressive gift.
“It’s a memory that you used to stab someone, right?” Webby asked.
“When it is used to stab someone, it is no longer a memory, it is a knife,” Li said.
After being questioned by Webby, Li maintained that he never intended to kill Yang.
Li said he did not recall stabbing her and repeatedly said he never planned her murder.
While he was angry about their long-running legal dispute, Li said his anger was not directed at Yang but at the police.
Li said that he did not hate Yang and actually respected her.
Li contested the evidence given earlier at trial by his former roommate. He said that he had never referred to Yang as “the bitch” and did not talk about trying to get revenge.
Li also admitted that he did not believe that the protection order Yang issued against him was legal.
He said he did not respect him, because they were not husband and wife.
Li said that after the order was served, he tried to challenge it because he thought it was breaking the law.
During interrogation, CCTV footage of Li buying the knife from a hunting and fishing store was projected on the court.
Li said that when he bought the knife, he had no plans to kill Yang.
He said he looked happy in the pictures because he had gotten the knife at a good price.
The trial continues.
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