Dismembered model in Hong Kong: trial of former husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law

Alex Kwong, the ex-husband of Hong Kong model Abby Choi, who was found dismembered in 2023, along with his father and brother, pleaded not guilty to the murder of the young woman at the start of their trial on Wednesday.

In February 2023, parts of the dismembered body of 28-year-old Abby Choi were discovered by police in a house on the outskirts of Hong Kong, a few days after she disappeared.

Alex Kwong, his father Kau and his brother Anthony all pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, Judge Brian Keith told the nine-person jury.

The defendants, who face life imprisonment if found guilty, appeared calm at the hearing.

They are also being prosecuted for obstructing the legal burial of the body. Alex and Anthony Kwong have pleaded guilty to this charge.

An influencer followed by more than 140,000 people on the Instagram network, Abby Choi had posted photos of her participation in Paris Fashion Week, just a few days before her death.

Part of his body was discovered by police in pots at the bottom of a refrigerator in a recently rented house in Lung Mei, near Tai Po in the New Territories (northeast).

Police had indicated that an electric saw and a meat grinder, suspected of having been used to dismember the body, had been found at the scene.

A forensic examination revealed the presence of a hole in the back of the skull, which could constitute evidence of a fatal assault.

- Attempted escape thwarted -

Ms. Choi had two children with Mr. Kwong, from whom she had divorced, before remarrying Chris Tam, the heir to a wealthy Hong Kong family, with whom she had two more children.

The prosecutor's office indicated on Wednesday that the young woman and her ex-husband's relatives were in conflict over a luxury property she had bought for them.

At the time of the incident, the police stated that "the victim and her ex-husband's family had numerous financial disputes involving enormous sums of money."

Alex Kwong was arrested on a pontoon on Lantau Island (west), as he was about to board a speedboat to leave Hong Kong, presumably for the neighbouring territory of Macau.

Last year, Abby's former mother-in-law, Jenny Li, was convicted of obstruction of justice for destroying evidence and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Two other people, who had helped the ex-husband attempt to flee, were sentenced to six months in prison.

The current trial, which is expected to last until December, was suspended on Wednesday and is due to resume on Friday.