Influencer Abby Choi, 28, was dismembered by ex-husband and his family in feud over luxury apartment sale: Prosecutor
Choi went missing on Feb. 21, 2023 and parts of her remains were found three days later
NEED TO KNOW
- Influencer and model Abby Choi was reported missing on Feb. 21, 2023, and authorities found some of her remains three days later
- Her ex-father-in-law Kwong Kau, her ex-husband Alex Kwong, and his brother Anthony Kwong are accused of killing Choi and are on trial in Hong Kong’s High Court
- Prosecutors claimed that a dispute over a $7.6 million apartment was the alleged motive for murder
The killing and dismemberment of Hong Kong influencer Abby Choi was allegedly linked to a family financial dispute over a luxury apartment, according to a prosecutor.
The 28-year-old socialite and model was reported missing on Feb. 21, 2023. Three days later, authorities discovered some of her remains in a rental home located in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, PEOPLE previously reported.
Two dismembered legs believed to belong to Choi were located in a refrigerator, while a skull, ribs, and hair were found in a cooking pot.
Her ex-father-in-law Kwong Kau, her ex-husband Alex Kwong, and his brother Anthony Kwong are currently on trial in Hong Kong’s High Court, where they are accused of killing Choi, which they deny.
All three pleaded not guilty to the mother of four’s murder, judge Brian Keith said on Wednesday, Sept. 30, according to CNN, The Independent and news agency AFP, via the Hong Kong Free Press.
The trio has also been accused of preventing the lawful burial of a body. Two of them, Alex Kwong and Anthony Kwong, pleaded guilty to this charge, according to British newspaper The Times, AFP and The Independent.
Choi came from a wealthy family with ties to the construction industry. She had more than 140,000 followers on Instagram, where she regularly posted pictures from fashion events and her magazine covers before her death.
After divorcing Alex Kwong, with whom she had two children, she reportedly maintained a good relationship with the family, according to the prosecution.
She allowed his father, Kwong Kau, to live in a luxury apartment reportedly costing $7.6 million and put it under his name to avoid a higher tax than if it were registered under her own name, The Times and The Independent note.
But the relationship deteriorated after Choi tried to sell her apartment in 2022 and relocate the family closer to where their children could go to school, prosecutor Charlotte Draycott said, per CNN.
At first, Kwong Kau allegedly refused to sign the paperwork but eventually agreed after he was threatened with legal action, Draycott says, per the outlet.
The prosecution alleged that Kwong Kau wanted to keep the apartment and plotted to kill Choi with his sons Alex Kwong and Anthony Kwong.
“We say the three of them decided they would do it together,” the prosecutor said, as reported by The Times.
After her relationship with Alex Kwong, whom she married when she was 18, Choi tied the knot with restaurant entrepreneur Chris Tam Fong-chun, who was described as “extremely wealthy” during the hearing.
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In contrast, Draycott said the Kwong family “were not rich people,” CNN reported.
“I mention the money because it was, as we understand it, the root of what happened,” Draycott said, per The Independent.
The court case will continue on Friday, Oct. 2. The trial is expected to last around 40 days and feature a nine-person jury.
