Brutal slaying could have internet gambling connections

A British criminal court is currently hearing a case against an illegal Chinese immigrant, Guang Hui Cao (30), who stands accused of the brutal murder last year of two Chinese students thought to have been involved in Internet gambling, although no sites or companies have been specified.
The two Chinese students were found bound and badly beaten with hammers, one with a cut throat, and could have been murdered in a dispute over Internet betting money, the Newcastle crown court heard Monday.
Zhen Xing Yang and Xi Zhou, both 25, had an official joint income of only GBP 17 000 but more than GBP 233 000 passed through their bank account, reports The Guardian newspaper.
The ferocity of the murders in August last year was described by Robert Smith QC, prosecuting, as “not even remotely necessary” to enable the theft of a laptop and three mobile phones, which were all that were taken from the couple’s flat.
A motive of minor theft also conflicts with elaborate arrangements made by the man accused of the killings to win the couple’s confidence by pretending to want to rent their spare room.
Cao has pleaded not guilty, although clothes stained with the victim’s blood were found at his residence, along with personal belongings of the victims.

Related and similar