A Chinese student, killed and dumped in the boot of her car in New Zealand, "died for absolutely nothing" after her killers were unable to get money from the bank card they stole from her, the Crown says.
Jiayi Li, 18, known as Kiko, was found dead in the boot of her car in Hamilton in May last year.
Honglin Yu is standing trial for murder and aggravated robbery in the High Court at Auckland today.
He said the pair, who were friends with Kiko, stabbed her to death while she was sitting in her car.
They stole her bank card but Yu did not, as he thought, know her PIN.
The pair tried to withdraw money from her account but, after the PIN was rejected a number of times, the machine kept the card.
"She died for what would have been a modest amount of money. In actual fact, she died for absolutely nothing."
Mr Perkins said a few days later the killers paid a third man, Zhang, $1000 to drive the car with Kiko's body in the boot to Hamilton.
The car was parked outside an address at which Yu had once lived, he said.
The jury of seven men and five women will hear evidence from 40 witnesses.
Text messages between Yu and Li from a week before the killing would be presented to the jury.
There were also text messages between Kiko and Yu as she thought they were good friends, he said.
Mr Perkins said the case had its "genesis" in a text Yu sent to Li on May 12 saying: "Oh, I even have the thought of killing people. Who do you find disagreeable? I will help you finish it."
Another text said: "If killing people can bring money, I will also kill."
Yu said: "Let us make a plan of kidnapping someone."
Further texts would describe the pair hatching the plan, and discussing how to carry it out and nominating who their victim would be.
Security footage from a supermarket later that night would show them buying knives, Mr Perkins said.
The pair also tried to get a third man involved in their plan, showing him their knives, but the man rejected them.
They later discussed by text watching movies to get lessons on kidnapping.
Mr Perkins said that, in one text, Yu said: "Kiko may have money in the car. Her family is very rich. I know her PIN."
After Li agrees she is a good target Yu responds: "F--- this isn't very good. I kind of can't harden my heart."
Mr Perkins said Yu managed to harden his heart by May 19.
The trial before Justice Kit Toogood is expected to take three weeks.
Jiayi Li, 18, known as Kiko, was found dead in the boot of her car in Hamilton in May last year.
Honglin Yu is standing trial for murder and aggravated robbery in the High Court at Auckland today.
Crown prosecutor Aaron Perkins said Yu and an accomplice, Yongxin Li, were living with home-stay New Zealand families.
Between them they hatched a plan to kill someone so they could steal their money.He said the pair, who were friends with Kiko, stabbed her to death while she was sitting in her car.
They stole her bank card but Yu did not, as he thought, know her PIN.
The pair tried to withdraw money from her account but, after the PIN was rejected a number of times, the machine kept the card.
"She died for what would have been a modest amount of money. In actual fact, she died for absolutely nothing."
Mr Perkins said a few days later the killers paid a third man, Zhang, $1000 to drive the car with Kiko's body in the boot to Hamilton.
The car was parked outside an address at which Yu had once lived, he said.
The jury of seven men and five women will hear evidence from 40 witnesses.
Text messages between Yu and Li from a week before the killing would be presented to the jury.
There were also text messages between Kiko and Yu as she thought they were good friends, he said.
Mr Perkins said the case had its "genesis" in a text Yu sent to Li on May 12 saying: "Oh, I even have the thought of killing people. Who do you find disagreeable? I will help you finish it."
Another text said: "If killing people can bring money, I will also kill."
Yu said: "Let us make a plan of kidnapping someone."
Further texts would describe the pair hatching the plan, and discussing how to carry it out and nominating who their victim would be.
Security footage from a supermarket later that night would show them buying knives, Mr Perkins said.
The pair also tried to get a third man involved in their plan, showing him their knives, but the man rejected them.
They later discussed by text watching movies to get lessons on kidnapping.
Mr Perkins said that, in one text, Yu said: "Kiko may have money in the car. Her family is very rich. I know her PIN."
After Li agrees she is a good target Yu responds: "F--- this isn't very good. I kind of can't harden my heart."
Mr Perkins said Yu managed to harden his heart by May 19.
The trial before Justice Kit Toogood is expected to take three weeks.
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