THE murder of Zhang "Tina" Yu, 26, was horrific and protracted, a packed Supreme Court in Hobart heard yesterday.
Director of Public Prosecutions Tim Ellis told a packed courtroom yesterday that Daniel Joseph Williams and Stavros Papadopoulos had been cruising Hobart looking for women on the night the student was killed.
Papadopoulos allegedly told his friend: "Tonight is one night in a million. I want to kill a ***** tonight."
Mr Ellis said the pair had picked up Ms Yu at a Sandy Bay restaurant in the early hours of June 25 and taken her to Papadopoulos's New Town unit.
The Supreme Court in Hobart heard that the accounting student was killed when preparing to leave the flat after a drink she had not enjoyed.
Ms Yu was sitting on a couch when Papadopoulos charged through a patio doorway and smashed a concrete Besser block on her head from behind, the court was told.
When a heavily bleeding Ms Yu tried to stand, Papadopoulos punched her repeatedly before dragging her to another room, Mr Ellis said.
She then agreed to have sex with Papadopoulos, but refused to take a shower, the court heard
Papadopoulos allegedly wrapped a sheet around her neck and pulled on it before trying to strangle her with a yellow clothesline cord.
The court heard that Papadopoulos told Williams to wrap an electrical cord around Ms Yu's neck, but it snapped.
Williams told investigators the student eventually begged for her ordeal to be over, Mr Ellis said.
"In the end, she just told Stav to kill her," Williams allegedly told police.
"And they proceed to do just that," Mr Ellis said.
Aided by Williams, Papadopoulos lifted Ms Yu into a bath and held her face down under water until she drowned, he said.
The attack lasted between one and two hours.
Williams, 22, of Channel Highway, Kingston, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Yu.
Papadopoulos, 22, of New Town Rd, New Town, has admitted to the murder and is awaiting sentence.
The court heard that a forensic pathologist who examined Ms Yu's body found evidence of a blow to the head, punches, dragging and attempted strangulation and had determined the cause of her death was drowning.
Williams allegedly told police he assisted Papadopoulos because he was in fear of him.
Mr Ellis told the court Williams was guilty of murder because he acted in concert with Papadopoulos or had aided and abetted the killing.
"When Ms Yu was being drowned in the bath at the end of her ordeal, Mr Williams was at the door of the bathroom, watching," Mr Ellis said.
"It is the Crown case ... that he's liable for being in a common purpose with Papadopoulos that Ms Yu would be killed, or raped and killed or killed and raped and that he aided and abetted Papadopoulos."
Mr Ellis said Williams backed away from Ms Yu when she approached him for help and at times participated in the attack.
"He undresses her, he takes off her underwear, he watches while she is drowned," he said.
"He doesn't run screaming, he doesn't try to stop it -- he joins in."
Defence lawyer Greg Richardson said at issue in the case was the extent to which Mr Williams was involved and the reasons why.
Although the crime Papadopoulos had admitted was terrible, the jury considering the charge against Mr Williams should "take emotion out of it", he said.
"Be dispassionate, as difficult as that is going to be in this case," Mr Richardson said.
The jury of five women and seven men was yesterday shown photographs of the unit where Ms Yu died and of the Tyenna River where her body was found.
The trial before Justice David Porter continues today.
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2010/04/21/141061_scalesofjustice.html