‘Why? Why? Why?’ Father screams at his daughter’s killer in court after he admitted murdering her and dumping her body in bushland
- Shuo Dong, 21, has pleaded guilty to murdering 28-year-old Qi Yu
- Her body was found in bushland almost seven weeks after her disappearance
- Dong remained stony-faced in court as his victim’s father became emotional
A heartbroken father has screamed in court at the man who murdered his daughter, asking: ‘What was the reason? Why? Why? Why?’
‘Our only daughter had been murdered, our family has suffered a serious disaster and our family was destroyed,’ Zhihe Yu said on Thursday as he faced his daughter’s killer in the NSW Supreme Court.
‘We have not only lost our only daughter, but also lost our support, hope and motivation to live.’
Qi Yu’s wrapped body was found in bushland in Sydney’s north almost seven weeks after her disappearance
He was reading out a victim impact statement written by him and his wife Qin He at the continued sentence hearing of Shuo Dong.
The 21-year-old has pleaded guilty to murdering Qi Yu, 28, on June 8, 2018, the day she was last seen at her Campsie unit, which she shared with him and another woman.
Her wrapped body was found in bushland in Sydney’s north almost seven weeks after her disappearance.
Dong remained stony-faced in the dock as his victim’s father became emotional, shaking at one stage and looking directly at the killer.
‘On 8th June 2018, our daughter was murdered, after which her body was disposed in the Ku-ring-gai National Park, where it remained unfound in the wilderness for 47 days,’ Mr Yu said.
‘The precious life of our daughter was ruthlessly taken away.
‘Her 10 years of hard work suddenly ended in vain and a bright future was ruined.’
Shuo Dong has pleaded guilty to murdering Qi Yu, 28, on June 8, 2018, the day she was last seen at her Campsie unit, which she shared with him and another woman
Unable to accept the loss of their daughter, his wife grieves inconsolably.
‘(She) often dreams our daughter or herself is being chased, often cries in a dream, wakes up from heart pain almost every night,’ he said.
‘She wanted to depart from this world herself and join our daughter.’
According to documents tendered at his sentence hearing, Dong spent the evening of June 8 bickering with Ms Yu over cutting his lease short and the bond money he owed her.
Ms Yu’s parents, who were speaking to her from China via WeChat, could hear the argument in the background when the power to the unit was shut off.
They later contacted a neighbour who lived nearby to check on their daughter.
Blood-like stains were found through the home and car, which was parked a few kilometres away.
Two days before the murder, Dong did an internet search for ‘how would homicide be sentenced in Australia’ and visited related web pages including ‘criminal offence sanction between China and Australia’.
Ms Yu’s parents said she was an ‘intelligent, beautiful, lovely, lively and innocent girl’ who came to Australia in 2009 as an international student.
She obtained her bachelor degree in electrical engineering, a master’s degree in telecommunications and joined an electronics company, On-Track Technology.
The sentencing hearing is continuing before Acting Justice Peter Hidden