Murder of Elizabeth Zhong: the inside story of the murder victim of the body in the boot

From being a new migrant in state housing to becoming a “super entrepreneur” amid claims that she owed her associates millions of dollars, murder victim Elizabeth Zhong had a colorful life that ended after she was killed in her home. home last week, reports Lincoln Tan.

Elizabeth Zhong rose from a humble beginning.

He lived for a time on Housing New Zealand property before, friends say, amassed significant wealth.

She moved to the country from China in 1997 with her young daughter and husband Frank Fu.

But last week, the 55-year-old grandmother, born Ying Zhong, was brutally murdered in her East Auckland home and her body was placed in the trunk of her car. At the time of his death, he faced legal action amid allegations that he owed millions of dollars to his associates.

Zhong and Fu settled in Auckland with their 9-year-old daughter Shanni. At first, Zhong worked in an English school.

But Zhong had an entrepreneurial spirit and began looking to attract wealthy mainland Chinese to invest in business here from around 2010.

Between 2011 and 2012, he worked with former immigration minister Tuariki Delamere conducting investment seminars mainly in Guangzhou.

The audience was informed about investment opportunities in New Zealand and learned how it was possible to obtain residency through the immigrant pathways.

“I found Elizabeth very attractive, friendly and enterprising,” Delamere, now a licensed immigration consultant, said at Herald of the weekend.

“When we were in China, we stayed with friends and occasionally met to discuss changes in immigration policies.”

Delamere said their views differed on migration pathways for wealthy investors, and stopped their cooperation.

A spokeswoman for New Zealand Immigration said this week that the agency had not granted visas to people linked to Zhong’s company.

A friend of Zhong’s said, who declined to be named, said the Chinese woman later met accountant Sam Chan, marking her turning point from “businesswoman to super businesswoman.”

“He helped structure his finances and businesses, and this allowed him to work with investors and also buy in large companies.”

Zhong went on to own several residential properties, including one on Pomona Rd in Kumeu, where she had been living until about last year, and the Sunnyhills home near where her body was found.

In the run-up to his death, Zhong had bought a variety of businesses, from movies to winemaking.

At its peak, Zhong sponsored Chinese film festivals and ethnic events, including the 2017 Asia Pacific Film Festival. A friend said Zhong was expected among many in the community.

In recent years it seemed to have run into financial trouble.

A mysterious foreign backer paid millions to help her purchase visual effects company Digipost Entertainment in 2017.

The company offers animation and computer graphics, film post-production, sound mixing, and visual effects.

The credits in which the company has been involved include Mosely, Ash versus Evil Dad, Mt Sion, Spartacus, Love Birds Y 30 days at night.

The business was recently sold in a mortgage sale.

Matthew Bellingham, an accountant who handled the sale, said it had several unusual aspects, from a lack of due diligence on the part of the buyer to the huge sum of financing from a mysterious foreign backer.

On Friday, a person familiar with the Digipost deal rejected claims that there was a lack of due diligence.

Instead, the person described lengthy and detailed negotiations and said that Zhong was sincere and ambitious about making movies.

Zhong was also the sole director and shareholder of the wine companies, Kennedy Point Group Ltd of Waiheke Island and Carrick Wines Ltd. of Central Otago. Both are bankrupt.

Another company Zhong owned, Sunbow Ltd, is also in receivership.

But a friend of Zhong’s said that some of the businesses were bankrupted as part of a plan, and not because Zhong was a bad businesswoman.

“She faced numerous claims from people who wanted money from her, and she had been informed that the best way was to bankrupt her business,” said the friend.

His property in Kumeu also had creditors who qualified him since July of last year.

Around the time Zhong bought Digipost, their marriage fell apart and they separated from Fu shortly after they celebrated their daughter’s 29th birthday.

Zhong met his new partner David Zheng, and according to the friend he had planned for him to take over his film production companies after the sale of Digipost.

Also known as Kaigui Zheng, he is one of the two directors of Passion Pictures Group Ltd, a company formed and registered at the same Epsom address as Digipost on July 15 last year.

A friend said that Zhong was looking forward to living with Zheng.

“The last time we met, she introduced me to her new partner and we also talked about her daughter and grandson in Wellington, and she was eager to live her new life.”

When approached at his Beach Haven home on Auckland’s north shore this week, Zheng declined to answer any questions.

In late 2017, Zhong had talks with Jihong Lu, the controversial sponsor of one of New Zealand’s most expensive theater musicals. City of 100 lovers – to be part of the $ 12 million production. There was no formal association.

The musical ran for about six months to nearly empty houses at the SkyCity Theater. It was retired in February 2019 and Lu died of cancer in January this year.

Just before flying to Beijing for the Sino-European Producers Forum on October 12 last year, Zhong emailed his accountant Sam Chan to tell him that he was “still fighting” with a business partner.

That fight involved an amount of more than $ 10 million that associate Fang Sun claimed Zhong owed him. The Auckland High Court confirmed this week that a case between the Sunbow Company and Ying Zhong was scheduled for 10 am on December 15.

A source with intimate knowledge of the case said that this associate was one of several people who Zhong is said to owe money to, ranging from a few thousand to tens of millions.

“In the case of December 15, they were going to go after Elizabeth personally for the debt and not just for the company,” the source said.

Sun was contacted by the Weekend herald through his accountant who said he did not want to comment.

Zhong was last seen alive at 4.30pm on November 27 at her $ 2 million Suzetta Place home in Sunnyhills, east of Auckland.

She had been reported missing the next morning by a “close associate”. Police were called to his address around 10 a.m. A body believed to be Zhong’s was found in the trunk of his black Land Rover on Roadley Avenue, about 500 meters from his home that night.

Manukau County Police Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers said yesterday that investigators believed she was killed at her home.

His body was placed in the car and covered with household items.

An examination of the scene was still underway and police were combing CCTV.

Neighbors reported seeing a Chinese man regularly parked outside the Suzetta Place home in the months leading up to his murder.

Vickers said police were aware of the information and “kept an open mind.”

A neighbor said that an incident at Zhong’s home about a month ago led her to go to the hospital.

Vickers said the Chinese consulate had been informed and that police were hoping to contact various China-based agencies.

Shanni, Zhong’s daughter, who lives in Wellington, could not be reached for comment.
His social media accounts, including Linkedin and Instagram, have been deleted.

Can you help?
Anyone with information should contact 105, citing file number 201128/1909.