A husband who was found dead alongside his wife in woodland near Sydney Airport had a “serious and sophisticated” criminal record.
The body of Jai-Bao ‘Rex’ Chen, 33, was found submerged in a stream near Botany Bay’s Sir Joseph Banks Park in Sydney’s south on December 17.
The decomposed body of his wife Zhuojun ‘Sally’ Li, which had been wrapped in plastic, was discovered by a jogger 10 meters away eight days earlier.
Last week it was revealed that Chen owed a significant amount of money to a loan shark and had a “chronic” gambling habit.
It has since emerged that the Taiwan native also had a drug conviction record dating back many years.
Police records obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald showed that Chen was caught in a drug bust called ‘mark a dealer’ in 2020.
Court documents gave details of a website called LeafedOut that linked dealers with customers across Sydney, with both parties allowed to leave reviews for each other and consult drug menus.
Under the nickname ‘Captain Hook’, Chen delivered cannabis and food – known as edibles – laced with the drug to many addresses in the city from his silver Holden Vivo.
Jai-Bao ‘Rex’ Chen (pictured), husband of a couple whose bodies were dumped in bushland near Sydney Airport, had a ‘serious and sophisticated’ criminal record.
He got good reviews from satisfied customers, but he didn’t realize that one of them was an undercover cop who paid him through traceable invoices.
Chen was stopped by police officers on July 17, 2020 after running a red light on William Street in the inner Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst.
His Holden smelled of cannabis and two sandwich bags full of drugs were found in his jacket pocket, and five more in the glove compartment.
“He said it was for his personal use and he smokes a lot,” according to the police fact sheet.
A female passenger, who was not his wife, worked with him in the drug deals, police said.
Chen, who showed a Taiwanese driver’s license as identification, had no official job.
“The offenses involved are serious and sophisticated as they use an online platform to advertise and organize the supply of prohibited drugs,” police files said.
“He is currently in Australia on a bridging visa and police believe he is a flight risk.”
The decomposing body of Zhuojun ‘Sally’ Li (pictured) was discovered by a jogger in a forest on December 9.
In the photo: Forensic agents examine the place where the bodies of a couple were discovered.
Bags of cannabis and drug-laden edibles were later found at his apartment in Pyrmont, near Sydney’s central business district.
The police file on Chen notes that “investigations reveal that the supply of prohibited drugs is the defendant’s only source of income.”
In November 2020, Chen pleaded guilty to seven counts of possessing or supplying cannabis and was given a 12-month community corrections order.
But 20 months later, in July 2022, he was convicted again of drug supply and given an 18-month community corrections order, which expired last January.
Due to the nature of his crimes and the community corrections orders imposed, Chen was allowed to remain in Australia with his wife, Ms Li.
At the time, his gambling addiction led him to rack up debts with a loan shark, which police believe may have led to his and his wife’s deaths.
Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty confirmed Chen’s financial problems are “a strong line of inquiry” in the investigation.
‘They had money. “There was no other crime that we were aware of and certainly Sally unfortunately became a victim because of that,” he said.
It is understood that Mrs Li was not aware of the extent of her husband’s debts.
Police believe the murders took place at the couple’s home in Greenacre, southwest Sydney, before two third parties drove their bodies to bushland near the airport.
“At some point after the bodies were dumped at Botany, (the third parties) traveled to Queensland,” Detective Doherty said.
“We have located a phone that finally reached the hands of relatives and was later confiscated by the police.
“That phone has been forensically examined and based on the investigations we have had so far we believe there are at least two people involved and both have traveled abroad.”
Police are in contact with Chinese and Taiwanese authorities in the search for the third suspects involved.
The couple had not been seen since November. Ms. Li’s body was discovered a week after her mother Susan reported her daughter missing.
A silver Toyota Avensis, which does not belong to either of them, was seized by Homicide Brigade agents because they believe it was used to dump the bodies of both.
“We are investigating associations and friends of Sally and Rex who may have been in a position to transport a body to Botany and then also cover the actual body at the crime scene,” Detective Doherty previously said.
According to neighbors, the deceased couple recently cared for disabled people at home under the National Disability Insurance.
“In a world that often overlooks the unique needs and abilities of people with disabilities, we are a beacon of support and advocacy,” Ms. Li wrote on her company’s website.
She previously attended Riverside Girls High School and worked in early childhood, according to her social media accounts.