Double murder trial set to start tomorrow

The house on Stilwell Road, Mt Albert, where two men were found dead in early 2011. Photo / Natalie Slade

A double murder trial is set to open tomorrow for a man's claimed self-defence at his $2 million Mt Albert mansion.

Cheng Qi Wang is accused of murdering Zhuo "Michael" Wu, 44, and Yishan "Tom" Zhong, 53 on January 14 last year.

Wang appeared at the High Court in Auckland today for the opening of the trial, but it was delayed due to technical issues. The prosecution has prepared a presentation to show the court a virtual tour of the scene, but the necessary video projectors were unavailable today.

A jury was selected during the morning.

Wang's lawyer, David Jones, QC, has previously said that Wang acted in self-defence and emphatically denied the charges.

Wang was represented in court this morning by Thomas Sutcliffe and Michael Meyrick, while Kevin Glubb and Gareth Kayes represented the Crown prosecution.

Wang appeared in the dock before Justice Rebecca Ellis.

At the scene of the alleged crime, police found one of the bodies on the driveway and another inside the house.

A post mortem examination showed the two men had died from stab wounds. Police said they found two weapons at the property.