Prosecutors believe Hong Kong influencer Abby Choi was dismembered by her ex-husband and his family over a financial dispute involving a luxury apartment.
Three days after Choi, 28, was reported missing on February 21, 2023, authorities discovered some of her remains in a rental home in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district. Two dismembered legs that were believed to belong to Choi were found in a refrigerator, while a cooking pot held a skull, ribs and hair.
Choi’s former father-in-law, Kwong Kau, her ex-husband, Alex Kwong, and his brother, Anthony Kwong, were later arrested for allegedly killing the model and socialite, and they are currently on trial in Hong Kong’s High Court.
All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to CNN.
The family members have also been accused of preventing the lawful burial of Choi’s body. Alex and Kwong have pleaded guilty to the charge, according to The Times.
Choi came from a wealthy family with ties to the construction industry, and she found success as an influencer. She had more than 140,000 followers on Instagram at the time of her death, and she regularly posted pictures from fashion events and her modeling gigs.
Prosecutors said that after Choi and Alex divorced, she maintained a good relationship with his family.
She reportedly let his father live in a luxury apartment that cost $7.6 million and put the home in his name for tax purposes, according to The Times.
However, prosecutor Charlotte Draycott said Choi’s relationship with her former in-laws deteriorated after she tried to sell the apartment in 2022 and relocate the family closer to where their children could go to school, according to CNN.
Kau initially refused to sign the paperwork, but eventually agreed to the sale after Choi threatened legal action.
The prosecution then claimed Kau and his sons came up with a plan to kill Choi so he could keep the apartment.
“We say the three of them decided they would do it together,” Draycott said, per The Times.
Following her split from Alex, Choi married restaurant entrepreneur Chris Tam Fong-chun, who prosecutors described as “extremely wealthy.” Meanwhile, the Kwong family “were not rich people,” per CNN.
“I mention the money because it was, as we understand it, the root of what happened,” Draycott said during the hearing.
The court case is scheduled to resume on Friday, October 2, and the trial is expected to last around 40 days.
