The man accused of stabbing to death two men at an Auckland mansion had previously threatened to kill them, a court has been told.
Cheng-Qi 'Chris' Wang, 52, is accused of murdering Zhuo 'Michael' Wu, 44, and Yishan 'Tom' Zhong, 53, at a multi-million dollar Mt Albert home on January 14 last year.
Zhong was found dead on the driveway, while Wu died soon after he was found with 23 stab wounds.
Wang, who is facing trial in the High Court in Auckland, has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, with his lawyer Tom Sutcliffe saying he acted in self-defence.
During questioning by Crown prosecutor Kevin Glubb on Wednesday, witness Changfa (Daniel) Kao, a former business associate of the accused, told the court Wang threatened to kill both of the deceased men during phone conversations he'd sat in on.
Mr Wu and Mr Zhong were former friends and business associates of Wang. However, Wang allegedly owed the pair money from property deals.
Mr Kao said he listened on speakerphone to a conversation in which Mr Zhong asked for $90,000 allegedly owed to him by Wang.
When Mr Zhong said he would take legal action if he was not paid the money, Wang threatened to kill him, he said.
Mr Kao told the court he'd heard Wang threaten to kill Mr Wu during a separate conversation.
On Tuesday, the court heard that the two men were killed as they tried to serve a trespass notice on Wang.
The ownership of the property was in dispute and Wang's estranged wife was trying to get the accused to leave the property.
The trial is expected to last a month.
NZN