Ex-husband, in-laws accused of murdering Hong Kong model Abby Choi appear in court

The ex-husband and in-laws accused of murdering Hong Kong model and influencer Abby Choi appeared in court on Wednesday, in a gruesome case that has sent shockwaves through the city. Abby Choi in 2022. Photo: Abby Choi, via Instagram. Choi, an influencer with more than 140,000 followers on Instagram, had shared photos from Paris Fashion Week just days before she was killed in 2023. Police discovered parts of the 28-year-old’s dismembered body at a house in suburban Hong Kong. Her death was widely reported in the city, where violent crime is relatively rare. Alex Kwong, his father Kwong Kau and brother Anthony Kwong pleaded not guilty to murder charges, judge Brian Keith told a nine-person jury on Wednesday. The three defendants, who face life in prison if found guilty, appeared calm as they attended the hearing. They are also accused of preventing the lawful burial of a body, with two of them, Alex and Anthony Kwong, pleading guilty. Choi had two children with Alex Kwong, but later divorced him and married Chris Tam, with whom she had two more children. Property dispute Prosecutors told the court on Wednesday that Choi and her ex-husband’s family had financial disputes over a luxury property she had bought for them. They said they believed Choi had decided to register the property under the name of her former father-in-law years ago to avoid paying higher taxes. Prosecution lawyer Charlotte Draycott told the court that Choi’s relationship with the Kwong family began to deteriorate in 2022 after she tried to sell the luxury flat, for which she had paid HK$60 million ($7.65 million). Kadooria, the luxury property in Ho Man Tin that Abby Choi reportedly bought. Photo: Google Maps. Prosecutors said Kwong Kau, a 68-year-old retired police sergeant, had become “extremely resentful and angry” over the attempt to sell the flat. They said he decided to kill Choi because he wanted to keep the flat and that he and his sons decided to work together. “We say three of them decided they would do it together,” said Draycott, adding that each of them “played a part” in Choi’s death and burying her body in a suburban house. The trial, which adjourned until Friday, is expected to last until December. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Dateline:Hong Kong, China Type of Story: News ServiceProduced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to high journalistic standards. Agence France-Press (AFP) is "a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives." HKFP relies on AFP, and its international bureaus, to cover topics we cannot. Read their Ethics Code here More by AFP