A man accused of murdering his flatmate has told a jury the woman died after inhaling nitrous oxide and he was too 'panicked' by the risk of criminal charges to seek help.

In a gripping murder trial unfolding in Brisbane, Yang Zhao, aged 30, faces serious charges for the alleged murder of his flatmate Qiong Yan, 29. Zhao has claimed that Yan expired after inhaling nitrous oxide, adding a twist to an already tragic story where her body was discovered decomposed and concealed in a toolbox on their apartment balcony ten months following her death. Zhao has pleaded not guilty to murder but admitted to interfering with Yan's corpse. The prosecution describes a calculated cover-up in which Zhao sent approximately 2,400 fake messages from Yan's phone to create the illusion that she was alive, targeting her bank accounts and defrauding her family out of significant sums. During the proceedings, Zhao's actions were described as motivated by financial desperation, given his history of gambling and debts. As the court examines the chilling details of this case, including Zhao's alleged admissions of culpability and the impact on Yan’s grieving mother, this trial raises pertinent questions about accountability, mental health under duress, and the need for timely intervention in suspected cases of foul play.