The jealous boyfriend’s incredible Google searches before stabbing his lover in the heart and putting her body in a wheelie bin — after dropping her kid off at school like nothing ever happened
- Ju ‘Kelly’ Zhang killed by boyfriend
- Body dumped in wheelie bin and found four months later
- Jury found Joon Seong Tan guilty of murder
A jealous man who googled “how many years to kill a person in Australia” after dumping his girlfriend’s body in a bin has been found guilty of murdering her.
Joon Seong Tan had been dating Melbourne mother Ju ‘Kelly’ Zhang, 33, for just a month when he killed her at her home in Epping in February 2021.
He threw her body into a garbage can and drove it to Heidelberg West, 9 miles (15 km) away, where it was placed on the street alongside others for collection.
Then he waited for the garbage truck to empty Ms. Zhang’s body from the garbage can.
In the days that followed, Tan did several hair-raising Google searches on his phone, including “how is stinking rubbish disposed of in Australia” and how many years for murder in Australia.
Ms Zhang’s body was found four months later in a rubbish dump in Melbourne’s north after a meticulous search.
Ju ‘Kelly’ Zhang, 33, was killed by her boyfriend of a month – after she started seeing another man
Above, Joon Seong Tan during his interview with Victoria Police. He was found guilty of murder on Thursday after a jury took less than a day to deliberate
Tan will spend decades behind bars after a jury in Victoria’s High Court took less than a day to find him guilty of murder after a month-long trial.
Dressed in a suit and tie, he showed little emotion in the dock when a translator informed him of the jury’s verdict.
Chief investigators on the case broke down when the guilty verdict was handed down Wednesday.
Zhang’s family and friends also became emotional as they watched from the public gallery.
During the month-long trial, dozens of witnesses were heard, including Ms. Zhang’s friends and her ex-husband.
The jury was told how Tan met Ms. Zhang online in early 2021 and quickly fell in love with her and called her his wife.
Prosecutors told jurors that Tan killed Ms. Zhang sometime between 5 and 6 p.m. after eating with her and her eight-year-old son.
Ms. Zhang had reportedly soured relations with Tan and started seeing another man.
Tan had seen his car parked in her driveway.
Ms Zhang’s body was found four months later in a dump in Wollert, Melbourne’s north
Sinlge mother Ju ‘Kelly’ Zhang (pictured) was killed in her Melbourne home in February 2021
The jurors were told that Tan had told a friend that he thought Ms. Zhang was cheating on him and if he found out that was the case, he would “kill her, hug her and die together.”
It was alleged that Tan also told a friend that he had fought with Ms. Zhang and accidentally killed her, before disposing of her body and moving it to a laundry closet.
Jurors accepted prosecutors’ argument that Tan then moved her body to a garbage can, drove it to Heidelberg West, and deposited it with others for collection.
After taking Ms. Zhang’s son to school, Tan returned and watched the garbage truck empty the garbage can, before taking him back to Ms. Zhang’s house.
“This is clearly a case of murder and the evidence proves it,” prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams told the jury.
Ms. Zhang’s decomposed body was discovered by police in June 2021 during a search of a landfill in Wollert.
She had suffered at least one stab wound to her heart.
Tan remains in custody and will appear in the Supreme Court next week.
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Joon Seong Tan (pictured) spent decades behind bars after being found guilty of murder
The court was told that Tan had told a friend that he thought his new girlfriend Ju Kelly Zhang (pictured) was cheating on him