Qld man dissolved wife's body in acid
AAP
Cleo Fraser December 2, 2013, 6:27 pm
A man accused of murdering his wife and dissolving her body in acid has pleaded guilty to interfering with her corpse.
A far north Queensland man has admitted causing his wife's death and dissolving her body in acid.
Klaus Andres, 70, is accused of murdering his wife, Li Ping Cao, 42, on October 30, 2011, in Cairns.
He's been charged with one count each of murder and interfering with a corpse.
His trial, set down for two weeks, began on Monday in the Cairns Supreme Court.
On Monday afternoon Andres' lawyer read out a list of 10 admissions by Andres to the jury.
Andres admits causing his wife's death on October 30, 2011, buying acid from a hardware store and putting her body in a wheelie bin to dissolve her in it.
He has already admitted to interfering with his wife's body, but denies intentionally killing her.
Andres also admitted pouring the contents of the wheelie bin down a storm drain outside the couple's house.
Only Li Ping Cao's prosthetic teeth were recovered by investigators.
Andres' lawyer told the court Andres admits pushing his wife during an argument in the couple's kitchen on October 30, 2011.
Li Ping Cao fell to the ground and blood began oozing out of her nose and ears.
Andres tried to communicate with his wife and then put a pillow under her head, but she was unresponsive.
He then panicked as he thought he'd be blamed for her death.
Andres says he pushed his wife because she had stabbed his knuckles and fingers with a fork.
He had no intention of killing her, he says.
Principal Crown Prosecutor Nigel Rees told the court Andres killed his wife to get rid of her so his mistress, who lived in Thailand, could move in with him.
Andres began a sexual relationship with the Thai woman while she was on holiday in Cairns in August 2011.
In an email penned on the day after Li Ping Cao died Andres wrote to his mistress: "Now I have good news, the other person has finally left".
Andres told police his wife had packed her things and left him, as she had on a number of occasions.
He said she had likely returned to China.
Andres fronted a media conference after Le Ping Cao's death seeking information about his wife's whereabouts.
The jury will decide whether Andres intended to kill his wife or whether it was an accident.
The trial continues.
