Man accused of murdering mum refused bail

A teenager accused of murdering his mother fled to China because he was afraid, confused and alone and wanted to be with his father, an Adelaide magistrate has been told.

Wei Li, 22, is charged with murdering Emma Mei Tian, 41, whose severely bashed body was found wrapped tightly in bedding in the family's suburban Burnside home on March 19, 2011.

Ms Tian suffered multiple injuries and the cause of death was strangulation either manually or by a ligature, possibly a bathrobe belt found at the scene.

Her husband, the father of the then 18-year-old Li, also known as Daniel Li, was in China on business at the time.

Evidence linking the son to the scene included Li's fingerprints on a metal pole next to the body.

Li, who was deported from China in July, applied for bail on Friday, an application supported by his father who was present in court.

Opposing bail, the prosecutor referred to the risk of Li absconding, saying he had flown to China days after his mother's body was found by a family friend.

The prosecutor also said Li created a different identity when in China.

Li's lawyer, Mike Hegarty, said his client had been "quite an amazing" high school student, an accomplished musician and was described by those who knew him as "a person of honesty and integrity".

"He found himself in a situation where his mother was dead," he said.

"At the time his father was in China for business reasons and Daniel was afraid, confused and alone and wanted to be with his father."

Li was prepared to agree to any bail conditions proposed by the court, while his father and other supporters were prepared to provide sureties and somewhere for him to live.

Li's mental state was deteriorating while in custody and a trial was likely to be some time away.

But magistrate Elizabeth Sheppard refused bail, primarily because of the seriousness of the allegation.

The case was adjourned to December 5.