A Chinese international student will avoid a double-murder conviction for killing two Asian prostitutes in Melbourne after making a deal with Victorian prosecutors.
Gambling addict Xiaozheng Lin, 24, who moved to Australia from China to study at a language college, will be sentenced within the next fortnight for the manslaughter of Yuqi Luo, 31, and Hyun Sook Jeon, 51, on December 27, 2022.
Lin was due to face trial for murder in August but made a deal to plead guilty to manslaughter instead, and faced the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday for a pre-sentencing hearing. Media had previously been barred from reporting on the case.
The double-killer required a Mandarin interpreter due to his poor English, and cried as the court heard details of his crimes, ABC News and the Herald Sun reported.
The court heard that Lin first killed Luo in her La Trobe St apartment during a dispute over a $100 extra payment for oral sex, before stealing $7,000 cash, designer handbags and her phone. He later admitted to the robbery but claimed he didn’t kill her.
He then went Jeon’s Docklands apartment where he had sex with her before killing her and stealing her laptop, phone and bank cards. Prosecutors said he committed an “unlawful and dangerous act” but her body was too badly decomposed when found three days later for a cause of death to be determined.
Lin, who was arrested two days later, refused to tell police how Jeon died, but his defence barrister Paul Smallwood said his client admitted seriously shaking her.
Mr Smallwood said Lin was teased as a child due to a limp and spent most of his money on gambling apps.
“He’s never had a girlfriend, he’s never had a committed partner because of his self-conscious state in relation to his physical appearance,” Mr Smallwood said.
“Because of that his sexual outlet after he arrived in Australia was through the engagement of sex workers.”
Luo’s father, who lives in rural China, said in a victim impact statement that his daughter’s killing had left his family in poverty since she was the sole financial provider.
Jeon’s husband also provided a statement which was not read to the court. She moved to Melbourne from South Korea in 2013.
Header image: Xiaozheng Lin, left, right (Nine News, Victoria Police)
