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headline

Home where woman was murdered fetches $1.6m

The house where Auckland businesswoman Elizabeth (Ying) Zhong was allegedly murdered has fetched more than $1.6 million at auction.

The house was listed as a mortgagee sale as Ms Zhong was millions of dollars in debt to creditors at the time of her death, and bankrupted just two weeks later on November 27, 2020.

The seven-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Sunnyhills, east Auckland, went for $1,670,220 on Friday – below the CV of $1,688,752.

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It was listed by Roger Franklin of Barfoot & Thompson.

Bidding started at $1.2 million, and two registered bidders placed 47 bids.

The winning bidder attended through online live-streaming and phone negotiations through an agent, and was not present at the auction.

The freehold property, which has a swimming pool and a land area of 830sqm, was described by the auctioneer as a "gorgeous property" where one could enjoy expansive views of "twinkling luminescent city lights by night".

However, prior to the bidding, bidders were alerted to read the clauses relating to the sale, and asked to acknowledge that they "read and understood" the terms of sale.

There was no further mention of the house being the site of a homicide.

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When approached for comment, Mr Franklin said he had been advised not to comment.

He added that the terms of sale had been informed by instructions by the Crown solicitor, as is usually the case for insolvency sales.

Ms Zhong, 55, was stabbed to death at the home before being hidden in the boot of her Land Rover.

She had come to New Zealand from China 23 years ago with her family.

Her enterprises included a film effects company and a winery.

She has been described as a "kind, hard-working and enthusiastic businesswoman".

In February, a 47-year-old man was charged with her murder.

The man, who has pleaded not guilty, has interim name suppression until June 28.

headline

Husband 'confesses to murder' of young British mother in Greece

A Greek helicopter pilot strangled his young British wife to death in front of their 11-month-old baby, then staged a robbery to hide his involvement, police in Athens have said.

Last month Charalambos Anagnostopoulos, 32, told officers that he was tied up by three masked burglars in his home in an affluent part of Athens.

He told police the burglars tied up, tortured and strangled his wife Caroline Crouch, 20, to death. He told officers he suspected the burglars were Albanian.

Charalambos Anagnostopoulos and Caroline Crouch were targeted in a violent home invasion.

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But today police said Mr Anagnostopoulos had confessed to her murder under questioning.

"The perpetrator is her 33-year-old husband, who confessed to his act," Hellenic Police said in a tweet.

He has yet to be charged.

https://twitter.com/hellenicpolice/status/1405595345636184067

Detectives had long suspected the accusation against masked burglars was a fiction.

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The helicopter pilot confessed to the murder after eight hours of questioning, local media reported.

Charalambos Anagnostopoulos has allegedly confessed to murdering his wife Caroline Crouch.

The interrogation came soon after a memorial service held for Ms Crouch on the nearby island of Alonissos.

"First we waited for the memorial service to end and then the 32-year-old husband was transferred to police headquarters," a police spokesperson said.

"It could have happened yesterday, but we respected his desire to attend the memorial service."

Police have not detailed what happened to the family dog, who was purportedly hanged in the "break-in".

Ms Crouch and Mr Anagnostopoulos wed in 2018, and their baby daughter was born in June last year.

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Caroline Crouch was allegedly strangled to death by her husband Charalambos Anagnostopoulos.