Son who killed mother says she went 'berserk' when he skipped piano practice
A former high-achieving law student has confessed in court to killing his mother, but claims he was acting in self-defence.
Wei Li was 18-years-old at the time of the murder and told the jury he suffered violent abuse at his mother’s hands when he did not get straight A’s.
The court heard Emma Tien, 41, ‘went berserk’ in March 2011 when Li skipped piano practice in favour of a martial arts lesson.
Wei Li was 18 at the time of the murder and claims he acted in self-defence. Photo: 7News
He said she ran at him, yelling and screaming and hitting him with a metal bar while trying to choke him.
Li told the court he knew he couldn't reason with his mother and had no choice but to try and stop her.
"It happened so fast. At some point I realised she had something in her hand, just going at me," Li told the South Australian Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Emma Tien's body was wheeled out of her Burnside home by investigators. Photo: 7News
"I think she wanted to kill me. I had no choice but to fight back."
The prosecution has alleged Ms Tien was beaten with a metal rod and strangled before her body was wrapped in bedsheets and left in the lounge of the family's Burnside home.
Li said he never meant to hurt her and told the jury how she had beaten him for years when he didn’t get straight As.
Li fronted court on Wednesday. Photo: 7News
He explained why he wiped up his mother’s blood: "I thought, ‘I'm gonna get in trouble. It's gonna stain the marble floor’."
Li claimed his mother bruised and scratched him but the prosecutor pointed out no injuries were seen in selfies he took at a Melbourne apartment after her death.
It was also revealed that researching killing methods was part of his decade-long obsession with suicide.
Police cars attended the scene of the crime in March 2011. Photo: 7News
It was alleged that after the killing Li fled first to Melbourne and then to Singapore and China.
The law student was returned to Australia in 2014 after being detained by Chinese authorities.
He also admitted to covering his mother's body "out of respect" but said nothing after that point was rational.
"I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know where I was. I didn't know what to do," he said.
Li claimed his actions came after years of abuse from his mother. Photo: 7News
Li also admitted to travelling to China to 'go back to my family'.
The trial continues.
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Morning news break - January 27
