The intended target of an alleged murder plot in Auckland woke to find her security cameras painted over, days before a couple living in Ellerslie were killed. Lok Fung Lorrence Li is on trial in the High Court in Auckland, facing charges including murder and conspiracy to murder his former landlord.
The trial in the High Court in Auckland has unspooled a chilling sequence of events involving a former tenant, a disputed rental deposit, and an alleged plot to eliminate a Beach Haven landlord before two other residents were killed in their home, prosecutors have suggested. Lok Fung Lorrence Li, 29, is on trial for the November 2023 murders of 66-year-old Fuk-Fu Joseph Kwok and his 67-year-old wife Mei Han Chong in Ellerslie. He is also accused of conspiring to murder his former landlord.
Disputed Rental Arrangements and Escalating Text Messages
The landlord, who was granted name suppression, testified in court that she rented a single room in her Beach Haven home to Li in March 2023. She described him initially as a polite tenant during their limited face-to-face interactions. Tensions arose when Li asked if his mother could stay with him in the single-bed room.
Li agreed to the terms and moved out in June 2023, receiving his full deposit back. However, friction developed when the landlord was running late for the property change-over. According to the evidence presented, Li began sending increasingly agitated text messages demanding her attention.
The landlord recalled that the messages made her feel uneasy. When she arrived at the property, Li was accompanied by an older, balding man in his 40s with the surname Pan, whom Li introduced as his older brother. The landlord later noted that Pan appeared intensely protective, telling her, I’m his big brother, his matter is my matter
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Painted Security Cameras and Disguised Intruders
Months after Li vacated the room, he asked to return to look for a missing suitcase. The landlord agreed to meet him in late August, but was greeted by Pan instead before Li arrived later. Nothing was found during that search.
The situation escalated significantly in early November 2023. Waking up one morning, the landlord noticed paint on the ground outside her home. Following the trail, she discovered that her sensor lights and CCTV cameras had been painted over. Because the security equipment had not been recording at that exact time, she initially suspected someone attempted to steal a car parked in the driveway.
After cleaning and restoring the cameras, she captured footage later that night between 10pm and 11pm. Two people wearing caps and masks walked past the door. When the camera emitted a sound, the pair spotted the device and fled.
Days after that incident, the Kwoks were killed in Ellerslie. Police later approached the landlord after seizing suspects’ phones and discovering messages about her. Reviewing the footage, she recognized the masked individuals as Li and his older associate, identifying Pan by his body and Li by his distinct walk, noting Li kept his back slightly hunched forward.
A Church Pastor Warning and a Guilty Plea
Before the violence unfolded, co-defendant Shu Man Poon attempted to extract himself from the plot. Jurors heard testimony from associate pastor Shing Shan Yim of The Amazing Grace Christian Church, where Poon played in the worship band. Poon invited pastors to his home while visibly anxious, confessing that he owed Li money and was being forced to commit a crime as a favor.
Although the pastors convinced Poon to go to the Auckland Central police station to report the plot, they abruptly diverted to a hospital after Poon suffered a panic attack inside the station. Poon, 45, ultimately pleaded guilty to his role in the killings last year and is expected to testify in the ongoing trial before Justice Anderson.
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