Tina begged for death, court told

From The Mercury

MURDERED university student Zhang "Tina" Yu was subjected to a horrific attack that ended only after she begged for death, a court has heard.

One of the men accused of her killing told his mate: "I want to kill a bitch tonight" just hours before they picked up Ms Yu from a Sandy Bay restaurant.

The 26-year-old was bashed with a brick, punched and strangled with wire before being drowned in the bath of a New Town flat on June 25 last year, the Supreme Court was told today.

Her battered and naked body was found dumped in a river five days later.

Daniel Joseph Williams, 22, of Channel Highway, Kingston, has pleaded not guilty to Ms Yu's murder.

His trial began yesterday before Justice David Porter, a jury of five women, seven men and one reserve juror.

Another man - Stavros Papadopoulos, 22, of New Town Rd, New Town - has already pleaded guilty to Ms Yu's murder.

In his opening address, Director of Public Prosecutions Tim Ellis SC told the packed courtroom that as the men cruised Hobart looking for women on the night of the killing, Stavros Papadopoulos told his friend: "Tonight is one night in a million. I want to kill a bitch tonight."

He said the pair had picked Ms Yu up at a Sandy Bay restaurant in the early hours of June 25 and taken her to Papadopoulos' New Town unit where she was killed.

Mr Ellis described a protracted and horrific chain of events leading up to Ms Yu's death.

The court heard Papadopoulos told Williams to wrap an electrical cord around the woman's neck, but it snapped.

Mr Ellis said Williams told investigators the student eventually begged for her ordeal to be over.

"In the end, she just told Stav to kill her,'' Williams allegedly told police.

"And they proceed to do just that,'' Mr Ellis said.

The jury was yesterday shown photographs of the unit where Ms Yu died, of the Tyenna River and Ms Yu's battered body.

The trial - which is expected to last up to five days - continues tomorrow.

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