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An ex-husband of Hong Kong-based model Abby Choi, along with three of his relatives, were charged with murder on Sunday in connection to her grisly death — with the official charges coming only days after several dismembered body parts believed to belong to Choi were discovered by police.
Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong, 28, his brother Anthony, 31, and their father, Kwong Kau, 65, have been charged with murder, as per the Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK. The outlet also reported that Kwong’s mother Jenny Li, 63, was charged with perverting the course of justice.
The family members appeared in court on Monday but have yet to enter a plea. Their lawyers have not commented publicly on the charges.
The partial remains believed to belong to 28-year-old Choi were first discovered on Friday, two days after she was initially reported missing. Authorities found the severed body parts stored inside a fridge at an apartment in Lung Mei Tsuen, a suburb of Hong Kong. Police said a meat slicer, an electric saw and some clothing were also discovered in the home.
On Sunday, more human remains believed to belong to Choi, including a skull, several ribs and hair, were found in a large soup pot at another rural residence, according to police. They allege there was a hole from a “fatal attack” in the back of the human skull. The body parts were found in a home in Tai Po, Hong Kong, about a 30-minute drive from mainland China. The Tai Po home is about 10 kilometres from the apartment where the first human remains were found.
Choi’s torso and hands are still missing.
Police also confiscated a van that they believe was used during the attack.
Choi’s ex-husband was arrested on Saturday at a Hong Kong pier. Police claim Kwong tried to flee on a speedboat with HK$500,000 ($86,500) in cash and several luxury watches worth millions of dollars.
Choi was a social media influencer who had more than 100,000 followers on Instagram. Her last post on Feb. 19 featured a photo shoot for the fashion magazine L’Officiel Monaco. Since her disappearance, the model’s social media comments have been flooded with grieving messages and wishes that she rest in peace.
Choi reportedly had financial disputes with her ex-husband’s family involving tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars (millions of Canadian dollars). Police have said earlier that “some people” were unhappy with how Choi handled her finances.
The four family members were denied bail by the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court on Monday. The case has been adjourned until May 8. Police are still investigating the crime.
The gruesome killing has particularly transfixed many in Hong Kong and across the border in mainland China, since the self-governed southern Chinese city has a very low level of violent crime.
Choi’s friend Bernard Cheng said he initially thought she had been kidnapped.
“I haven’t imagined a person who’s so good, so full of love, so innocent, a person who doesn’t do anything bad will be killed like this,” he said. “My heart is still heavy. I can’t sleep well.”
Cheng said Choi had four children between the ages of 3 and 10. Her ex-husband was the father of the older two, who are now being taken care of by Choi’s mother. After their divorce, Choi remarried another man — the father of the younger children, who are staying with his family.
Cheng said Choi had good relationships with her family, including her in-laws, and would often travel with the families of her current and former husbands.
While violent crime is rare in Hong Kong, the case recalls a handful of other shocking killings. In 2013, a man killed his parents and their heads were later found in refrigerators. In another infamous 1999 case, a woman was kidnapped and tortured by three members of an organized crime group before her death. Her skull was later found stuffed in a Hello Kitty doll.
— With files from the Associated Press