Hong Kong murder suspect faces retrial after jury deadlocks on psychosis defence

In a recent development, a Hong Kong court has ordered former software developer Matthew Choi to face a retrial for a murder he is accused of committing in October 2021. The 23-day High Court trial concluded with a hung jury, unable to reach a verdict on whether Choi acted while suffering from psychosis caused by his belief that authorities were harassing him with electromagnetic waves.

Madam Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping discharged the seven-member panel, stating that the case was not so complex as to warrant further deliberation. Choi, now 36, is alleged to have stabbed 48-year-old taxi driver Wai Kim-hung in the neck, outside the WE hotel on Eastern Street in Sai Ying Pun at 4:52am. The defendant, who did not know his victim, fled the scene within a minute of the stabbing, and Wai was pronounced dead soon after collapsing near the taxi.

Choi returned to his residence, obtained a new set of clothes, and left for Lamma Island, a tranquil village where he remained for several days. Police identified Choi following his departure of bloodstained clothing and a mobile phone from the taxi. He was subsequently arrested near Yung Shue Wan Ferry Pier the following evening.

Born in South Africa, Choi had previously worked as a software developer in various African countries before ceasing employment in 2015. He claimed he left his job due to perceived government surveillance using Wi-fi and "voice-to-skull" technology. Choi told police he fled to Hong Kong in 2016, believing his family sought to harm him through psychiatric hospital admission. He maintained that surveillance footage capturing his whereabouts was a "digital fake" used to frame him.

During the trial, evidence was presented, including a meat cleaver engraved with "my ELF weapon." Choi claimed the weapon, short for extremely low frequency, was intended to protect him from government attacks, as he felt unsafe during the 2019 anti-government protests. A psychiatric assessment conducted in 2019 concluded that Choi was not mentally ill, though he was deemed to have a "radical" personality.