Jury chosen for Shulai Wang murder trial

A jury of six men and six women have been selected for the trial of four family members who have been charged with manslaughter and kidnapping after the death of an elderly Chinese woman.

The body of Shulai Wang, 70, was found by a member of the public fishing in the Gulf Harbour in Auckland in March 2024.

It took the police about seven months to identify the body, which was wrapped in layers of plastic bags.

Kaixiao Liu and his wife Lanyue Xiao, both 38, as well as Liu's mother Xiuyun Li, 63, and Liu's father Jingui Liu, 65, were facing trial at the Auckland High Court.

The four defendants, accompanied by Mandarin interpreters, chose to represent themselves with standby lawyers being assigned to each of them.

The court has granted the Crown prosecutor's application to remove allegations of assault in relation to the alleged manslaughter.

Justice Mathew Downs said the trial could last four to six weeks.

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