00:00:09
[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
00:00:18
time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
00:00:26
and for a more detailed list of content warnings please the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
00:00:36
[Music] website 69-year-old Maria Yan adored volunteering at the eastend Opportunity
00:00:45
Shop the store was attached to the living and learning center a community space that provided adult education and
00:00:52
Recreation programs in the regional Victorian town of Hillsville the up shop supported the
00:00:58
center financially by selling recycled clothes and household goods at affordable prices it also provided
00:01:05
retail experience for those looking to expand to their career opportunities it was this community
00:01:12
spirit that had drawn Maria to Hillsville in the first place located in the Yara Valley less
00:01:18
than an hour's Drive Northeast of Melbourne the town was known for its Lush Greenery Charming Main Street and
00:01:25
spectacular Mountain views with the population of fewer than 7 th000 residents Hillsville had a
00:01:31
village likee feel with the strong focus on community and the two things Maria cared about most in life were community
00:01:39
and family Maria who was widowed with three adult children took her managerial position at the East End Opportunity
00:01:48
Shop very seriously she went above and beyond to turn it into something special she put
00:01:55
her co-workers skills to good use assigning them jobs that elevated the humble secondhand store into an
00:02:01
attractive Boutique even when she wasn't working the shop was never far from Maria's mind
00:02:09
if donations came in that weren't in cable condition Maria took them home to wash and mend she did then give them to
00:02:17
single mothers who were struggling to make 's meet Maria's family joked that her house
00:02:23
smelled like a secondhand store but Maria didn't mind from a young age she'd always been drawn to helping those in
00:02:31
need having grown up in a large Italian family with little money she knew what it was like to
00:02:39
struggle but in early 2003 staff at the eastend Opportunity Shop noticed an obvious shift in Maria's Behavior saying
00:02:48
she seemed on edge anytime A car pulled up outside she appeared visibly nervous and asked them to see who it
00:02:56
was according to her colleagues Maria ad committed to feeling terrified at one point some customers
00:03:04
said they overheard Maria arguing on the phone they said when she hung up Maria told them the caller had just threatened
00:03:13
to kill [Music] her on the morning of Tuesday September 30 2003 Matthew Clifton made his way up
00:03:46
Juliet cresant although the residential street was just a short drive from the center
00:03:51
of Hillsville the sizable properties that dotted either side of the road were surrounded by trees and Hills giving the
00:03:58
neighborhood a pride priv at secluded field at roughly 8:15 a.m. Matthew arrived at the Steep driveway that led
00:04:07
to Maria Yan's home Maria had purchased the idilic single story Blu Stone property in
00:04:16
1997 with three bedrooms and two large living areas it provided all the space Maria needed to host her ever growing
00:04:24
extended family Maria's husband Ronald had passed away in 1984 and their three children
00:04:31
had long since flown The Nest but family remained Maria's number one priority she cared for her four young
00:04:39
grandchildren and loved to host guests from all walks of life but with one and a half acres of
00:04:46
both manicured Gardens and Native vegetation the property on Juliet cresant required a lot of
00:04:54
upkeep Maria was a very house proud woman and she liked things to be immaculate to maintain her yard she sought help
00:05:02
from locals who needed extra cash Matthew Clifton had been working as Maria's Gardener for the past 2 years
00:05:09
with a focus on attracting more birds to the property Maria often joined him in the
00:05:15
garden but when Matthew arrived on this occasion Maria wasn't outside he tapped on the door to let
00:05:23
Maria know he was there then got to work but after 30 minutes he needed her help Matthew had some new roses to plant
00:05:33
and he wasn't sure where Maria wanted them to go Matthew knocked on the front door
00:05:41
there was no answer he turned the handle of the mesh security door and found that it was
00:05:47
unlocked so was the main door Matthew took his boots off and led himself in calling out Maria's
00:05:56
name the entrance led to the open plan living and kitchen area Matthew noticed that Maria's wallet
00:06:04
was lying on the floor near the kitchen bench with its content scattered about the TV was on but the volume had
00:06:12
been turned all the way down that's when Matthew saw Maria she was sitting in a club lounge
00:06:20
chair facing the television her body slumped to one side Matthew thought Maria must have
00:06:27
fallen asleep but as he got closer he realized that her head was covered with blood within hours Juliet cresant was
00:06:41
teaming with police in total Maria Yan had sustained 22 blows to the top of her head the
00:06:50
repeated blunt force trauma had resulted in extensive cranial fractures a severed
00:06:55
earlobe and ultimately death the murder weapon was nowhere to be found and was difficult to narrow down several items
00:07:05
could have caused such injuries including a plank of wood an ax handle or an iron
00:07:11
bar blood spatter dotted the living room and was smeared on Mara's purse it appeared that at least one
00:07:18
credit card was missing however nothing else appeared to have been stolen and the rest of the house was
00:07:26
Immaculate the beds were all made the furniture was in place and there were no signs of a
00:07:32
struggle in fact Maria didn't have a single defensive wound similarly there were no signs of
00:07:40
forced entry apart from the front door on the western side of the house all of the
00:07:46
doors and windows were locked a search for fingerprints and DNA came up a dry outside the living room window lay a
00:07:56
Blood Stained tow other than that the killer had left behind no clues Maria's three grown children Jeff
00:08:07
Rond and Pauline were beside themselves when they heard the news the Yan were incredibly close-nit
00:08:15
Maria and her husband had worked hard to give their children a joyful childhood instilling in them a great appreciation
00:08:22
for food nature culture and family they lived in the coastal suburb of Frankston before Maria and Ronald
00:08:30
retired to a hobby Farm in the regional town of aaran Maria loved the land and took
00:08:37
pride in growing her own produce but after Ronald suffered a fatal heart attack the farm was too difficult to
00:08:44
maintain on her own she moved to Hillsville to be closer to her family the three siblings adored their
00:08:52
mother and couldn't understand how such a generous and caring woman could meet such a violent hand
00:08:59
as Jeff later told Sky News it sounds a bit corny but Mom was one of the good ones Maria's eldest daughter Ronda found
00:09:12
the news particularly hard to process Maria had called Ronda the previous evening at around 7:40
00:09:20
p.m. the two had spoken for just under half an hour and it had been a completely normal
00:09:27
conversation at no point did sound like Maria had company nor did she mention that she was expecting
00:09:34
anyone just after 8:00 Maria said she had to go the ABC television show Australian story had just started and
00:09:43
was covering a story about journalist Mike Monroe that Maria was eager to see Monday nights were considered
00:09:50
Maria's chill out night and watching Australian story was part of her usual routine based on this information
00:09:59
investigators started to piece together Maria's final moments a pathologist determined that
00:10:06
she had died between 9:00 p.m. on Monday September 29 and 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday September
00:10:13
30 the evidence indicated it was on the earlier end of that timeline when Maria's body was found the
00:10:21
living room curtains were open and a single lamp was on Maria was wearing pants and a jumper and hadn't yet
00:10:28
dressed for bed the muted TV was still switched to ABC the channel she had been watching at
00:10:35
8:00 p.m. one of Maria's sisters had tried to call her at around 11:15 p.m. but there
00:10:42
was no answer this was unusual and indicated that Maria was likely already dead when
00:10:49
the call came through for Maria's children there was another detail that gave them
00:10:56
pause Maria had been killed while sitting in the club lounge chair that sat directly opposite her
00:11:03
television when Maria watched TV she always sat in her favorite recliner chair she only sat in the club Lounge
00:11:12
when talking to guests investigators quickly made a key assumption this wasn't a robbery gone
00:11:20
wrong Maria Yan likely knew her killer and had willingly invited them inside the question was who would want to kill
00:11:35
this innocent grandmother by all accounts Maria Yan was a pillar of the community her
00:11:42
volunteer work went far beyond the op shop she also helped people experiencing homelessness and individuals overcoming
00:11:50
addictions either by offering them work or giving them a place to stay her compassion knew no bounds even
00:11:58
on Christmas day when Maria was always busy hosting her large extended family she took the time to deliver extra meals
00:12:05
to people who were doing it tough or had no one else to celebrate with investigators considered whether
00:12:13
Maria's Good Deeds could have played a role in her demise Maria's friends and family said
00:12:19
she trusted people implicitly some of those she'd helped were individuals trying to get back on
00:12:25
their feet after serving prison time several disadvantaged members of the community who had recent dealings with
00:12:32
Maria were looked into but each was able to provide a solid Alibi for the night of Monday September
00:12:41
29 Hillsville residents struggled to come to terms with Maria's Murder One outraged local told
00:12:49
reporters it was a cowardly act for anybody to walk into somebody's house at night while they're sitting down by the
00:12:55
fire watching television and beat them to death and I hope they catch the mongrel investigators obtained Maria's
00:13:05
will which stipulated that her entire estate be divided equally among her three children suspicions were immediately
00:13:13
cast on Maria's son Jeff Yan who lived roughly 80 km south of Hillsville he seemed to know the most
00:13:21
about her movements and habits investigators were aware that the perpetrators of violent crimes are often
00:13:29
closest to the victim but not only did Jeff have a solid Alibi it quickly became clear that
00:13:35
he was a doting son who considered himself his mother's protector despite Maria's trusting
00:13:43
nature Jeff disputed that she would open her door to just anyone he told police that she always
00:13:50
locked both the security door and the main door and would only open them to people she knew especially at night the
00:13:59
entrance to Maria's property was secured by a set of Steel automatic Gates Jeff said that if Maria wasn't
00:14:07
expecting visitors she kept these locked while also keeping all external lights off to conserve
00:14:15
power September nights in Hillsville could be bitterly cold but according to Jeff Maria only lit the fire if she had
00:14:23
guests over and wanted to make them comfortable if a guest wasn't welcome or Maria hoped to keep the visit brief she
00:14:31
wouldn't light the fire on the night of her murder the fireplace in Maria's living room had
00:14:38
been set up but not lit on the day Maria was killed she' visited her sister carela who also lived
00:14:52
in Hillsville Maria confided in Carmela that she had just been to see a counselor
00:14:59
it had been an eye-opening experience according to Carmela Maria explained that she'd discussed
00:15:06
everything from her childhood to her personal Grievances and was feeling empowered she said she was no longer
00:15:13
going to be a passive Observer who put up with poor treatment Carmela suspected she knew
00:15:21
exactly what Maria was referring to over the past few months there had been one situation in particular that had been
00:15:29
troubling Maria it related to The Marriage of her youngest daughter Pauline Pauline had met a man named
00:15:39
James unaru in 1982 and the two quickly commenced a romantic relationship Maria adored James from the
00:15:48
moment she met him he was a Nigerian immigrant who'd moved to Australia on his own in the
00:15:55
1970s realizing James had no family down under Maria embraced him with open arms she loved the new culture that he
00:16:04
brought to her already diverse family and quickly became his biggest supporter in the years that followed
00:16:12
Maria became like a mother to her new son-in-law she supported the couple financially by selling them her home in
00:16:20
Frankston at a low cost on the Proviso that they pay her back over time she also provided James with
00:16:28
emotional support which according to those close to her was no easy task from the outset Pauline and James
00:16:37
had a turbulent relationship marred by fighting and multiple separations according to Pauline James
00:16:45
was a very possessive husband Pauline claimed that while he wasn't physically abusive he had a
00:16:51
volatile temper this prompted her to take out two intervention orders against him over the
00:16:57
course of their their marriage Maria's son Jeff initially had a great relationship with his
00:17:05
brother-in-law until he accompanied James on a trip to his home country of Nigeria there Jeff claimed to have
00:17:12
witnessed to James cheat on Pauline when they returned to Australia their friendship was fractured Beyond
00:17:21
repair during a period of separation between him and Pauline James began a casual relationship with another
00:17:29
woman he and Pauline reconciled soon after but unbeknownst to Pauline James had become a father within that
00:17:37
time he kept his child a secret from Pauline for several years when she found out she was
00:17:46
devastated James and Pauline had been unsuccessfully trying to have a child together for
00:17:51
years Pauline had one pregnancy that tragically resulted in still birth regardless of how painful this
00:18:00
development was she took a James back Maria had raised her children to believe that marriages should be worked
00:18:11
on when times get tough she often played the role of Peacemaker in James and Pauline's marriage acting as a filter
00:18:19
for all their ongoing issues over time this took a toll as the relationship continued to
00:18:27
deteriorate Maria felt like she was being dragged into a constant emotional tug of
00:18:33
war by the start of 2003 Maria told friends and family that she felt James was becoming increasingly deceitful and
00:18:41
obsessive about maintaining control over Pauline she couldn't handle it anymore for the first time Maria
00:18:50
encouraged Pauline to leave the relationship and Pauline began taking steps to do
00:18:57
so in mid April 2003 Maria went to Pauline's house to help her pack some of her things according to her son Jeff
00:19:06
Maria told him that James became Furious grabbing Maria roughly and throwing her
00:19:12
from the house Maria was shaken according to Jeff Maria said she thought James unaru was a bad man but
00:19:22
she'd continue to support him for as long as Pauline wanted to remain in the marriage
00:19:29
that all changed on April 21 2003 that day Jeff's phone rang and Maria was on the other
00:19:38
line according to Jeff Maria requested that he get to James and Pauline's house in Frankston as quickly as
00:19:45
possible there had been an altercation between the couple and Maria said she was concerned for Pauline's
00:19:52
safety when Jeff arrived he claimed he found the couple standing in the kitchen he approached James and
00:20:01
said there's nothing I can do about you and Pauline but you don't ever manhandled
00:20:07
mom Jeff later reported to police that James suddenly pulled out a large Skilling knife and tried to grab him by
00:20:15
the throat Jeff said he managed to scramble away and grab a shovel that was lying
00:20:22
outside Pauline intervened by locking herself inside with the James Jeff called the police who visited
00:20:30
the property but no further action was taken according to Jeff James called him afterwards with a threat if Jeff ever
00:20:39
came to his house again James would kill him James's brother had recently passed
00:20:47
away and Pauline was doing her best to support him through his grief but she'd had enough she officially began divorce
00:20:57
proceedings according to an intervention order she submitted James issued her with a
00:21:03
warning I'll kill you if you leave me but don't worry I'll make it quick and you won't
00:21:14
suffer the breakdown of her daughter's marriage caused Maria Yan a great deal of stress some around her claimed she
00:21:22
became increasingly scared of James unaru and started jumping anytime a car arrived at the option
00:21:28
Shop friends said Maria told them that James had caught her at work threatening to kill
00:21:35
her after that she took an extended leave of absence she went into State and tried to recover from what some
00:21:43
described as an emotional breakdown upon her return Maria focused on helping Pauline leave the
00:21:50
relationship for good Pauline moved into a rental unit keeping the address a secret from James but according to
00:21:59
Pauline he started following her and it didn't take long for him to figure out where she was
00:22:05
living Maria agreed to store some of Pauline's personal belongings in her shed among them were the ashes of
00:22:14
Pauline and James's still born baby Jeff said he was concerned that James would come looking for the ashes
00:22:22
and bought a large padlock for the shed Maria promised to keep it LO Ed one day after this a friend said that
00:22:32
Maria told them about an incident in which she was burning off some vegetation in her padic when she
00:22:38
returned to her house she was shocked to find a James inside after that she told friends and
00:22:46
family she was convinced that he was trying to steal the ashes Maria's sister Dorothy remembered
00:22:54
receiving a call from Maria at 11:00 one night Maria was frightened she said she
00:23:01
could hear a shuffling noise outside and didn't know what it was Dorothy told her
00:23:06
to go out and investigate while she stayed on the line according to Dorothy Maria returned
00:23:13
to the phone saying it was James unaru according to an affidavit signed by Maria and filed in the Family Law
00:23:23
Court James showed up to her house on July 24th 20 three he'd become increasingly concerned
00:23:31
that Pauline was seeing someone else James appeared groggy and weak and collapsed onto the
00:23:39
couch Maria was worried claiming in the affidavit that James had recently threatened suicide multiple
00:23:47
times James told Maria that he'd taken something which she believed to be sleeping
00:23:54
pills Maria called an ambulance but the ATT attending paramedics determined that
00:23:59
James hadn't taken a lethal dose and didn't require any treatment according to Maria after they
00:24:07
left James swallowed more pills Maria said she stayed up all night keeping a panicked eye on him the next
00:24:17
day James returned home but Maria said in her affidavit that a few days later she received a phone call from one of
00:24:25
his neighbors saying that James was trying to hang himself she stated that she and Pauline
00:24:32
spent the night at the couple's house trying to console him during which time James confiscated Maria's car keys to
00:24:39
prevent them from leaving following this incident Pauline went to stay with Maria for the
00:24:47
weekend she later told police that the two made a packed Pauline would leave James for good and Maria would do
00:24:55
everything she could to support her and make sure the separation worked this time according to a mutual friend
00:25:03
Pauline said that she and her mother discussed plans to sell their homes and buy a property they could live in
00:25:11
together Pauline claimed that when she returned to her rental unit she noticed something wasn't
00:25:18
right from the outside everything appeared to be in place there were no signs of forced entry or any damage but
00:25:27
once inside Pauline quickly noticed that several items were missing including large items of
00:25:35
furniture a picture frame she'd hidden beneath some clothes was sitting out in the open the photo inside it which had
00:25:43
featured Pauline's boss had been stolen Pauline immediately suspected her husband was
00:25:52
responsible according to Pauline James had become increasingly fixated on the the idea that she and her boss were
00:25:59
having an affair she also suspected that James had the means to let himself into her
00:26:06
flat when Pauline and Maria consoled James after his latest suicide attempt he' ducked out briefly saying he needed
00:26:14
to buy groceries Pauline and Maria both said they suspected he'd taken her keys to
00:26:21
get [Music] copied when Maria found out about the break-in she was Furious as detailed in her affidavit she
00:26:34
believed that James unaru was responsible Maria didn't think that James had acted
00:26:41
alone Maria claimed he' likely had assistance from his nephew whom she suspected had recently entered Australia
00:26:49
using a false passport enraged Maria reportedly called the police and named James's nephew as
00:26:56
an illegal immigrant she then gave James a piece of her mind telling him what she'd done and
00:27:04
urging him to accept that his marriage was over according to Maria's affid David
00:27:11
James drove her to Pauline's place so that she could mediate a meeting between the
00:27:16
two as they drove he started rambling about his suspicion that Pauline was involved with her boss Dominic the man
00:27:25
whose picture had been taken from Pauline's house Maria said she assured James this wasn't
00:27:32
true even though friends later confirmed that the two had in fact commenced a romantic
00:27:39
relationship according to Maria James suddenly handed her his mobile phone and told her to listen a man on the other
00:27:48
line introduced himself as babba he explained that he was a witch doctor from Nigeria Baba alleged edly told Maria
00:27:58
that James had sent him a photo of Dominic and he and his family had put a voodoo curse on
00:28:05
it Baba said that Dominic was going to die he urged Maria to encourage Pauline to work on her marriage with the
00:28:15
James as Maria later told her sister Baba warned that if she didn't comply something bad would happen within 7
00:28:26
days Maria claimed she hung up in disgust and told James he was being ridiculous she said James told her this
00:28:36
was all part of his Heritage in Nigerian culture a witch doctor is a type of healer who works outside of conventional
00:28:45
medicine many believe that witch doctors have a connection with the spirit world
00:28:50
and that they can help protect against evil forces according to Maria's affidavit
00:28:57
James told her that if Dominic didn't die in the next few weeks as Baba predicted he'd slit Dominic's throat
00:29:05
himself James apparently stated I've lost everything I have got nothing to lose I don't care if I end up
00:29:15
in jail nobody is going to win out of this one Maria was a spiritual person and she
00:29:30
told people that the conversation with the witch doctor had left her shaken now that she'd seen a sight of
00:29:37
James unaru she didn't like she felt responsible for letting him remain in their
00:29:42
family she believed if it hadn't been for her then Pauline would have left him 10 years
00:29:49
earlier by the start of September 2003 friends and family observed that Maria was increasingly exhausted by the
00:29:57
ongoing phone calls and visits from James pleading for her help with his marriage several friends said that Maria
00:30:05
told them she was afraid of what James might do she feared he would either kill himself Pauline or
00:30:14
her to make matters worse James placed a caveat on the Frankston property to prevent Pauline from selling it it was
00:30:23
at this point that Maria submitted her official affidavit to the Family Court outlining her allegations about all of
00:30:30
James's recent erratic and controlling Behavior she stated that he and Pauline still owed her $40,000 for the purchase
00:30:39
of the property and supported Pauline's claim to a larger percentage of the estate after the affidavit was filed
00:30:48
James appeared to accept that his marriage to Pauline was over he started putting wheels in motion
00:30:55
to sell the Frankston house and told Pauline he was thinking about moving into State he asked Pauline to go with him
00:31:03
but she reiterated that there was no chance of the two of them getting back together she had one priority and that
00:31:11
was to take care of her mother on Monday September 29 Maria apparently told her sister carela that
00:31:20
she was Fed Up according to Carmela Paulina had told her she still loved James Maria said she was tired of people
00:31:30
walking all over her and she intended to start standing up for herself Carmela fully supported her
00:31:37
sister and encouraged her new attitude hours later Maria was dead to investigators it seemed entirely
00:31:51
plausible that James unaru could have arrived at Maria's home unannounced as she settled down to watch TV for the
00:31:59
night they theorized that she might have invited him in and sat down in the club
00:32:04
Lounge to have a conversation without warning unaru could have struck her from behind beating her
00:32:11
to death before rifling through her purse to make it look like a robbery James unaru agreed to provide a
00:32:18
witness statement to the police in which he explained that Maria Yan had been an
00:32:23
ongoing supporter of his marriage to Pauline UNAM Madu said the two spoke often and that he occasionally visited
00:32:31
Maria to help with odd jobs but the last time he'd stopped by was four weeks prior to her
00:32:38
death on the Monday that Maria was killed UNAM Madu had the day off from his job working a production line for a
00:32:45
packaging company he said he'd spent most of the day cleaning the Frankston property in
00:32:51
preparation for it being sold he'd hired a 3 cubic met skip bin to help with the
00:32:58
process he claimed he was home all day save for a couple of hours between 3 and 5:00 at around 510 p.m. he came inside
00:33:09
to soak some white clothing in bleach in the bathtub because he didn't have a washing
00:33:14
machine he then made dinner and sat down to watch Australian story he didn't typically watched the
00:33:21
show but said he was interested in the story about Mike Monroe unaru said that after this he
00:33:29
rinsed out his laundry unsuccessfully tried to call Pauline a couple of times and then went to
00:33:37
bed unaru denied ever threatening or intimidating Maria Yan he said he considered her like his own
00:33:45
mother but investigators were suspicious about some of his answers Australian story was an ABC
00:33:53
program yet in his statement James unnadu said he had watched the show on Channel 9 before switching the TV over
00:34:01
to the ABC his comment that the last time he'd visited Maria was four weeks prior was
00:34:08
also contradicted by others Maria's sister Dorothy said she had dropped by for a visit exactly one
00:34:15
week before Maria was killed Dorothy claimed that James unaru was inside when she arrived arguing with
00:34:24
Maria she said when namadu saw her he became fidgety visiting Maria on a Monday evening was a weekly routine for Dorothy
00:34:35
but she told Maria this was the last time she'd be doing so as she had just accepted a new
00:34:41
Commitment if fadu had been there as well he'd Del likely overheard this meaning there was a strong chance he
00:34:49
knew Maria would be home alone on the night she was killed because zadu lived alone he
00:34:56
didn't have a an alibi for the crucial window between 6: and 11:00 p.m. on Monday September
00:35:03
29 these factors along with the concerning statements that continue to roll in from Maria's friends and family
00:35:10
officially propelled James unaru to the position of prime suspect in the murder of Maria
00:35:17
[Music] Yan UNAM Madu told police He was unaware that he owed Maria any money he only learned of this four weeks prior
00:35:30
when his lawyer told him about the affidavit Maria had submitted to the family court unaru claimed he never saw the
00:35:38
affidavit he also said that money wasn't an issue and that he would have happily
00:35:43
paid Maria the outstanding debt he denied ever threatening Jeff Yan with a knife saying he'd only held up a
00:35:52
stick while he acknowledged the breakdown of his marriage he insisted it was amicable and that he and Pauline
00:35:59
remained friends who were working towards a Reconciliation he rejected allegations
00:36:05
that he was responsible for the Breakin at Pauline's unit he also denied having a dispute with Maria about the property
00:36:12
stored in her shed or attempting to break into it as for the suggestion that he'd
00:36:18
attempted suicide under Maria's watch unaru insisted that he'd simply been tired when asked about the alleged
00:36:27
conversation Maria had with the witch doctor unaru firmly denied that such a call ever took place he said that as a
00:36:36
Christian he didn't believe in Witch Doctors he also claimed to have no idea that his nephew was in the country
00:36:43
illegally nor had Maria ever said she'd report him to immigration as far as unaru was
00:36:50
concerned he'd never threatened Maria and she had no reason to be frightened of him
00:36:57
he refused to believe that Maria would ever say such a thing to anyone else and firmly denied having anything to do with
00:37:04
her death according to unaru Maria was his pillar 6 days later police obtained a
00:37:14
search warrant for unu's Frankston home in a manhole in the laundry they found a
00:37:20
black bag inside were various personal documents including court papers intervention orders various servu debts
00:37:29
and a photo of Pauline's boss Dominic unu's vehicle a white Mitsubishi Express van that he used for contract
00:37:39
cleaning jobs was also examined when police had first questioned unaru an officer had noted
00:37:46
that the van's exterior and interior were filthy the dash was covered in a thick layer of dust and the rear carpet
00:37:54
was torn and stained scattered about inside were cleaning products rubbish and cigarette
00:38:03
BTS this time the exterior was unchanged but the interior was markedly different the majority of the rubbish
00:38:11
had been cleaned up and it appeared that new carpet had been fitted to the rear according to Pauline this was
00:38:20
unusual she said that in the year unnadu had owned the van he'd only ever cleaned
00:38:25
it once James unaru told police that on the night of Maria's murder his van was parked outside his house under the
00:38:38
carport however at that time the 3 cubic met skip bin had been sitting under the
00:38:44
carport and at 500 kg it couldn't be moved by hint the skip was no longer on the
00:38:52
property but based on its size investigators determined it was impossible for unu's van to be parked in
00:38:59
the carport as well they spoke to a neighbor who could not recall seeing the van parked in the
00:39:05
street on the night of Monday September 29 in a bid to establish whether James zadu was indeed home that night as he
00:39:15
claimed police obtained his phone records he had previously told them that he was out between 3:00 and just after
00:39:23
5: but records showed a dial up internet connection from his home computer at 4:15
00:39:30
p.m. at 5:52 p.m. telephone records indicated that unaru used his mobile phone to call a
00:39:38
plumber data showed that his phone was in Frankston at the time of this call a phone call came through to unu's
00:39:47
mobile at 8:40 p.m. but he didn't answer it therefore no data had been recorded to ascertain the device's location
00:39:57
there was no further activity on either line until 11:15 p.m. when un amadu tried calling poine Yan from both his
00:40:05
landline and mobile he claimed he'd wanted to discuss a letter from their Bank regarding their
00:40:14
morgage this meant there was a window of 5 hours and 25 minutes where no data existed on unu's phone and his
00:40:22
whereabouts couldn't be ascertained between 552 and 11:15 p.m. investigators wondered did that
00:40:31
leave enough time for James unaru to commit the crime the most direct route between
00:40:38
unu's home in Frankston and Maria's home in Hillsville was 81 km investigators traveled the route
00:40:46
themselves departing from Frankston at 5:52 p.m. on a Monday evening they traveled the speed limit
00:40:53
until they reached Juliet cresant at 7 24 p.m. leaving Hillsville at 10: p.m. they
00:41:00
arrived back in Frankston at 11:09 based on standard Monday evening traffic they determined the minimum
00:41:09
round trip was roughly 2 hours and 41 minutes James unaru would have had plenty of
00:41:18
time unaru told police that nobody else had access to his mobile phone he also claimed he hadn't seen Maria for 4 weeks
00:41:27
before her murder if that was the case his phone data raised another significant
00:41:35
question at 10:14 p.m. on Wednesday September 24 5 days before Maria's murder unu's phone had pinged off a
00:41:44
tower in Hillsville according to various friends and members of the Yan family UNAM Madu
00:41:51
didn't know anyone in Hillsville other than Maria and they knew of no reason reason for him to be in the
00:41:58
[Music] area the case against James unnadu looked to be stacking up he had a motive
00:42:09
to kill Maria Yan and seemed to have been caught in a number of Lies but after months of Investigation the case
00:42:17
was still entirely circumstantial with no evidence tying him to the crime according to a Yan family friend
00:42:25
unaru admitted to Pauline that he was responsible for the Breakin at her rental unit Pauline told police he had returned
00:42:34
most of the items he'd taken and she decided not to press charges in May 2004 Pauline Yan gave the
00:42:44
police another statement refuting her ex-husband's claim that he didn't believe in Witch
00:42:50
Doctors Pauline said it was actually an intrinsic part of his culture she said that UNAM Madu had
00:42:57
admitted to her that during their separation he'd sought help from a witch doctor in the hopes that they'd get back
00:43:04
together according to Pauline he'd also told her about the core between Maria and
00:43:10
BBA this was supported by phone records which showed two calls to Nigeria from unu's phone on the night Maria alleged
00:43:19
the calls occurred furthermore Pauline insisted UNAM Madu was fully aware of the debt
00:43:26
they owed Maria Pauline told police that UNAM Madu knew the significant role that Maria
00:43:34
played in dictating Pauline's decisions about the future he knew exactly how close they were and that Maria's death
00:43:41
would devastate her Pauline claimed that on a number of occasions during their marriage and separation unnadu told her
00:43:50
you think this is hell I'll show you hell regardless Pauline didn't think he was capable of murder he loved Maria and
00:44:02
for all his shortcomings he would never have hurt her she told one friend that if unaru had killed her mother she would
00:44:10
have no choice but to kill herself a close friend of unu's was aware of the issues between the couple
00:44:19
she claimed that unaru had told her all about the Nigerian Witch Doctor Who Would curse anyone who tried to separate
00:44:27
him and Pauline she told police that when Pauline moved out of the matrimonial home unaru had stated it's all out
00:44:42
War months continued to pass but still police found no concrete evidence tying James unnadu to Maria Yan's
00:44:51
murder for her family there could be no greater Injustice than the case going cold relationships among family members
00:44:59
had already become fractured in the wake of the crime they needed answers to heal
00:45:04
and move on for Maria's son Jeff his mother's murder had to be solved not just for her
00:45:11
family but for her community Jeff told reporters mom was such a worker for the community and people like her should be
00:45:20
looked after a bit better than that by February 2006 6 2 and A2 years had passed since Maria was killed and
00:45:29
still there had been no arrests an inquest was held to go over all the available
00:45:36
evidence over two days numerous Witnesses testified about Maria's growing fear of James unnadu and her
00:45:43
Rising belief that something bad was going to happen unnadu didn't testify on the
00:45:51
grounds that he could incriminate himself but Pauline Yan disputed the claims against him she defended her
00:45:59
ex-husband and criticized police handling of the case saying they'd ignored Persons of Interest who didn't
00:46:06
fit their theory of what happened in total there had been 20 different Persons of Interest during the
00:46:13
course of the investigation the lead detective rejected Pauline's assertion saying all of the people nominated have
00:46:22
been eliminated and have aliis there is only one person in this inquiry who remained a suspect and that's James
00:46:33
unaru as the inquest wrapped up investigators were approached by a woman named Andrea King Andrea had previously
00:46:41
told police she didn't know James unaru but that was apparently a lie she now claimed the two had been
00:46:50
casually dating around August 2003 during unu's separation from Pauline and she had something she needed to get off
00:46:59
her chest according to Andrea King UNAM Madu had been open and upfront about the
00:47:15
issues he was having with Pauline and Maria Yan following the robbery of Pauline's unit Andrea claimed she
00:47:22
overheard unu's side of a telephone conversation according to Andrea he told the unknown
00:47:29
person on the other line the stuff is safe and it is in storage if police ask you you know nothing I had gloves
00:47:39
on Andrea said she warn dunam Madu that he shouldn't be taking the Law into his own hands he responded you wouldn't
00:47:48
understand you don't know what I have been through according to Andrea unaru repeatedly told her that Maria and
00:47:57
Pauline were hassling him he couldn't understand why Maria was taking Pauline's side when Nadu had been like a
00:48:05
son to her he felt betrayed as though he'd been stabbed in the back and was convinced that Maria didn't think he was
00:48:13
good enough for her daughter UNAM Madu had told police he didn't answer the 840 p.m. phone call to
00:48:21
his mobile on the night Maria was murdered because he thought it was a plumber chasing
00:48:26
money in reality the caller was Andrea King Andrea also spoke with dunam Madu after police executed the search warrant
00:48:36
of his home and vehicle she told police that she noticed him become edgy when the subject of the
00:48:42
search came up and he started tapping his foot furiously Andrea said that unaru began
00:48:50
asking how police could possibly know whether he was in Hillsville on the night of Maria's murder
00:48:56
according to Andrea she then overheard unu's side of another phone conversation this time he spoke in a
00:49:04
combination of English and a language that she didn't understand Andrea claimed to have heard unaru
00:49:12
say the stuff's safe you know nothing if the police ask you know nothing don't say
00:49:21
anything Andrea said that about 10 days after Maria's death unnadu arrived at her home
00:49:28
unannounced according to Andrea unaru was smiling as he told her I did this I killed
00:49:37
her she said he then boasted that he wouldn't go to jail because the police had no proof he was
00:49:45
responsible Andrea claimed to have cut him off saying she didn't want to be involved she asked that he leave and
00:49:52
stop contacting her sure shortly after this alleged confession Andrea moved house she said she didn't report unaru
00:50:02
to police because she assumed they would have enough evidence to charge him armed with Andrea's statement
00:50:14
investigators felt they didn't need to wait for the inquest findings to make their move on February 8 2006 they
00:50:23
arrested James unnadu for the murder of Maria Yan unaru maintained his innocence
00:50:30
pleading not guilty at trial 2 years later in January 2008 almost 4 and a half years had
00:50:37
passed since Maria's death and the case had long since faded from the headlines although Pauline was now in a
00:50:45
new relationship she continued to believe in her ex-husband's innocence for other members of the Yan
00:50:52
family the long awaited trial was their chance to finally see Justice served but
00:50:58
when the day came they were disheartened to see that there was almost no media in
00:51:03
attendance at the time Melbourne's Gangland killings were dominating the new cycle this disparity pained Jeff Yan he
00:51:13
later told the Australian newspaper that white trash Mafia got more coverage than our dear old
00:51:21
mom the prosecution's case was relatively straightforward forward James unaru who was Now 52 was a man
00:51:30
embittered by his impending divorce and the withdrawal of Maria Yan's support he viewed Maria as standing in
00:51:37
his way of reconciling with Pauline and there were Rising tensions about how the
00:51:42
money would be split after the sale of the Frankston home having gotten away with the
00:51:48
breaking into Pauline Yan's unit he felt confident he could eliminate Maria according to the prosecution
00:51:56
circumstantial evidence pointed to a carefully planned premeditated killing the defense cast doubt on the
00:52:04
circumstantial case pointing out there's no forensic evidence there's no fingerprints there's no
00:52:12
eyewitnesses they questioned why unaru would ever confess to Andrea King when he barely knew
00:52:19
her they urged the jury to discredit the alleged confession entirely suggesting that Andrea King was simply hoping to
00:52:27
collect the $100,000 reward that had been offered by police after 2 weeks of evidence it took
00:52:36
the jury just 5 hours of deliberation before reaching a verdict not guilty Maria's loved ones sat in stunned
00:52:47
silence this was something they'd been mentally preparing for prior to the trial the judge had deemed several items
00:52:55
of evidence inadmissible the prosecution were prohibited from making any mention of
00:53:01
the alleged call from the Nigerian witch doctor or the alleged death threats unaru made to Maria and
00:53:08
Pauline they were also forbidden from mentioning unu's alleged manhandling of Maria or his alleged knife attack
00:53:16
against Jeff Yan without Maria around to give firsthand evidence relating to these
00:53:22
incidents the evidence was deemed prejudicial hearsay James unnadu was free to go members of Maria's family struggled
00:53:39
to understand why this evidence which they viewed as highly compelling couldn't be presented in
00:53:46
court Jeff told the Herald's son the whole ordeal has been surreal for all of us it's been an incredible
00:53:54
emotional Journey Journey we were just a normal family good people but I think as
00:54:00
a family we stand dignified with the James un amadu declared not guilty no further Avenues
00:54:09
were investigated and the case was filed away the Yan family did their best to move on but the trauma of Maria's murder
00:54:18
followed them anger swelled not just because they were left with unanswered questions
00:54:25
about the crime but because of the expectation that they simply carry on with their lives as though nothing had
00:54:31
ever happened those who believed dunam Madu was guilty like Jeff Yan struggled to comprehend that he was free to
00:54:39
continue living in their community and that he could strike again Jeff's daughters Esther and Bella
00:54:47
had been just seven and N when their cherished n was killed at the time they didn't fully
00:54:54
understand the weight of what had happened but as they grew older They Carried scars from the ongoing
00:55:02
experience both Esther and Bella eventually pursued careers that involved helping victims of
00:55:08
crime it was a legacy that Jeff was proud of but Esther and Bella were haunted by the unfairness of it
00:55:15
all they adored their naor and felt robbed that their memories of Maria were tarnished by the facts surrounding her
00:55:23
murder appearing on the podcast Australian True Crime Esther said this case has done a lot of damage
00:55:32
I love my family we're super strong but at the same time it's done a lot of damage on a good day we look normal and
00:55:42
we're celebrating and we're happy but on a bad day it has left its Mark in 2021 the Victorian police
00:55:54
launched their Cold Case Hub an online portal where civilians can learn more about the state's unsolved homicides and
00:56:01
help solve them detective inspector Tim day appeared on radio station 3aw to promote
00:56:08
the Hub as the interview wrapped up the presenter asked day if there was one case in particular that he'd like to see
00:56:17
solved day didn't hesitate before answering the murder of Maria Yan asked why da responded I think that
00:56:27
it's solvable when Maria's family heard about the radio appearance they were ecstatic detective day had been one of
00:56:37
the original investigators on Maria's murder and if he still thought the case was solvable after 18 years it gave them
00:56:44
a glimmer of hope since James unu's trial changes had also been made to Victoria's Double
00:56:51
Jeopardy laws which meant that a person could be charged with the same crime twice if new and compelling evidence
00:56:59
emerged Jeff later explained to Sky News journalist denim Hitchcock that up until
00:57:05
that point the investigation only had a faint pulse after the radio segment quote it
00:57:13
was like music to our ears all of a sudden that slight pulse was a defined heartbeat and it's just become stronger
00:57:21
and stronger following detective day's comments on 3aw in 2021 a review was ordered of Maria Yan's case a new lead
00:57:32
investigator was assigned to start looking at Maria's murder from scratch she made it clear that the new team
00:57:39
would go into things with an open mind reviewing all 20 Persons of Interest nominated during the original
00:57:46
investigation they would not be clouded by tunnel vision the lead detective told the
00:57:53
Australian it is basically in our eyes an unsolved investigation we're not bound At All by
00:58:00
what's happened in the past investigation and in fact we like to work freely from
00:58:07
it as the 20-year anniversary of Maria's murder approached in May 2023 Victoria Police announced a $1 million reward for
00:58:16
information relating to Maria's case they also released crime scene photos in the hopes that might jog
00:58:24
someone's memory a police spokesperson said police have spoken to dozens of people as part of
00:58:32
this investigation however there is always the possibility there is someone out there who is yet to speak to us
00:58:40
alternatively it might be someone who has never felt ready to provide detectives with particular information
00:58:45
and for them the time is now right Jeff Yan hoped that the significant sum would compel someone to
00:58:54
come forward forward telling reporters that he still carries a lot of anger quote that's been one of the worst
00:59:01
feelings that this person committed such a brutal and cowardly act has been walking freely in the community for 20
00:59:09
years he could be living next door to you as of late 2023 the renewed investigation into the murder of Maria
00:59:22
Yan has not resulted in any charges if police have any new information they are keeping their cards close to their
00:59:30
chest case File acknowledges James unu's presumption of innocence in the eyes of
00:59:36
the law he has been acquitted of the crime and he continues to deny any involvement UNAM Madu told the
00:59:43
Australian newspaper for years I was persecuted of this vile murder I did not commit I
00:59:51
spent two years of my life in remand while the police and Fe family smeared my name on Google my name remains as the
00:59:59
suspect I am innocent and the police needed to look elsewhere but didn't when confronted by denim
01:00:08
Hitchcock for the 2023 documentary who murdered Maria Yan UNAM Madu denied ever confessing to the crime and refused to
01:00:16
comment any further according to the documentary Pauline continues to believe in his
01:00:23
innocence Maria's family runs a Facebook group titled help Maria Yan catch her murderer
01:00:30
which includes all public updates relating to the case After All These Years Maria is
01:00:37
never far from their minds Jeff Yan keeps a larger than life photo of Maria on his living room wall
01:00:45
it's the first thing he sees when he walks in the door and he talks to her every
01:00:51
day outside of the Hillsville living and learning center a garden bench sits in Maria's honor offering a place where
01:00:58
those touched by her life can sit and reflect Maria's sister deian avoids Hillsville as much as she can the memory
01:01:08
of what happened there is too painful and Maria's mark on the community too strong for Dean Maria exists in the
01:01:17
small things she told the star male every day Maria is with me every day she's in the wind she's in
01:01:28
everything nothing will bring her back but nothing will take her memory from me until I'm no longer
01:01:37
here anyone with information relating to the murder of Maria Yan is encouraged to
01:01:42
contact Crim stoppers on 18003 or reported anonymously at crimestoppers.com.au [Music]
01:02:02
[Music] [Music] that