A man has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for his role in the murder of Ricky Wang in 2017.
Wang, also known as Bao Chang Wang, was never reported missing in New Zealand. His family believed he had travelled overseas.
His remains were found in a shallow grave covered in concrete near the Desert Rd in 2020.
26-year-old Gaoxiang Yu — one of a number of men charged in connection with the killing — pleaded guilty to one charge of murder last month. He had already been in custody serving a sentence for drug offending.
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Yu had previously admitted to being an accessory after the fact.
He was given a minimum non-parole period of eight years by Justice Simon Moore at the Auckland High Court this morning.
His sentence was imposed cumulatively to his existing sentences.
Yu sat in the dock today wearing glasses and a black t-shirt, watching proceedings calmly, with one security guard accompanying him.
The defence lawyer said Yu had felt significant "internal conflict" over remaining silent in the wake of the murder.
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Justice Moore agreed that Yu's guilty plea had to be a factor in the sentencing decision, alongside other mitigating factors.
He said the sentencing was the "most difficult" he'd ever encountered in his professional career.
"Your case engages a number of legal and procedural complexities which are novel and far from straightforward," he told Yu.
Yu stood and listened with his hands clasped when the sentence was announced.
The summary of facts
Ahead of delivering Yu's sentence, Justice Moore laid out a summary of the case.
Yu was involved in a methamphetamine syndicate, he said. Wang was also involved in the syndicate.
Yu was told by an associate that Wang planned to kidnap or rob Jianqi Zhao — a senior member of the syndicate — and he told Zhao, Justice Moore said. Zhao asked Yu to be there when he confronted Wang.
Wang was killed in August 2017, Justice Moore said.
Some aspects of the case remain suppressed.
Later in August, the body was taken to the burial site near Desert Rd in the dark of night.
'Devastating' - victim's family
The judge referenced a number of victim impact statements from Wang's family.
Wang's father suffered a heart attack when he heard the news of his son's death, Justice Moore said.
He has suffered as a result of Yu's "devastating" actions ever since, Justice Moore said, as have other family members.
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