Another suspect was charged on Tuesday in connection with the brutal killing and dismemberment of Hong Kong-based model Abby Choi, according to police reports.
Choi, 28, was reported missing on Feb. 22. Two days later, police found severed body parts stored inside a fridge at an apartment in Lung Mei Tsuen, a suburb of Hong Kong. The grisly discovery was soon after linked to Choi. As authorities found even more body parts — including a human skull — at another rural residence, Hong Kong natives and beyond grew transfixed by the case.
Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong, 28, his brother, Anthony Kwong, 31, and their father Kwong Kau, 65, have already been charged with murder. Kwong’s mother Jenny Li, 63, has been charged with perverting the course of justice. All of the family members have been denied bail. They have not yet entered a plea.
Choi’s ex-husband was arrested on Feb. 25 at a Hong Kong pier. Police claim he tried to flee on a speedboat with HK$500,000 ($86,500) in cash and several luxury watches worth millions of dollars.
Now, a 29-year-old woman was arrested by police in mainland China and accused of assisting another suspect involved in the killing. She has not been named publicly and is the seventh person to be arrested in the case.
Authorities believe the suspect participated in the crime, then fled from Hong Kong to mainland China, as reported by The Associated Press. She was arrested and turned over to Hong Kong police at Shenzhen Bay Port on Tuesday.
Two additional suspects have also been accused of assisting in the crimes.
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 grief 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 and property.
Choi had four children between the ages of three and 10. Kwong, her ex-husband, was the father of the older two, who are now being taken care of by Choi’s mother. After their divorce in 2016, Choi remarried another man — the father of the younger children, who are staying with his family. Choi reportedly remained close with the Kwong family even after their divorce.
Kwong and his family appeared in court on Feb. 27. The case has since been adjourned until May 8. Police are still investigating the crime.
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
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