Couple ‘may have known killers’

Two Newcastle University graduates who were brutally murdered in their flat may have known their killers, and let them into their flat, police said yesterday. The bodies of Xi Zhou and her boyfriend, Zhen Xing Yang, both aged 25, were found on beds in separate rooms in their flat near Newcastle University.

The couple had suffered severe head injuries inflicted by at least two weapons, including a knife, while Ms Zhou had also been asphyxiated. Police described the attack as "vicious" and "frenzied" but said there was no sign of forced entry to the ground-floor flat.

"The crime scene itself was one of the worst I have ever seen during a long career," said Det Supt Steve Wade, head of the Northumbria Police murder inquiry. "It wouldn't surprise me if it was more than one person, given the nature of the injuries."

The couple, who both moved to Britain from China to study, met while at Newcastle University. Ms Zhou, who had a masters degree in Applied Linguistics, was employed at Wagamama's restaurant in Newcastle city centre. She was last seen walking home after her shift on Thursday and failed to turn up for work at noon the following day. The bodies were discovered by a friend of the couple on Saturday afternoon.