Ex-husband & family plotted gruesome murder of Abby Choi over S$11.7 million flat sale, prosecutors say
The ex-husband and his brother and father all pleaded not guilty to her murder at the court trial.
In a shocking incident that shocked the city in 2023, Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi was brutally murdered by her ex-husband and his family over a financial dispute, prosecutors argued at the Hong Kong High Court on September 30. The 28-year-old Choi became the target of her former father-in-law after she insisted on selling a lucrative HK$72 million (S$11.7 million) flat where she and her ex-husband had been residing.
According to the prosecution, the motive behind the gruesome crime was selfishness; upon her death, the flat would be hers, allowing her ex-husband to move back into it. Prosecutor Charlotte Draycott pointed out the stark financial disparity between the victim and her ex-husband, who came from a much poorer background. Choi, born into a wealthy family in Hainan, China, married Alex Kwong when she was only 18 and was pregnant with his child.
Throughout their marriage, Alex Kwong never held a stable job, and his family was financially struggling. Alex Kwong even had a history of involvement in online gold-trading scams, for which he was eventually arrested.
The flat in question was registered under Kwong Kau's name as a nominee owner to save on stamp duty. Tensions grew in 2022 when Choi attempted to sell the flat and move her in-laws to another area, closer to her children's school. Choi's ex-husband refused to vacate the flat or sign the power of attorney, leading to an explosive confrontation where he allegedly attempted to assault her.
Choi expressed her deep resentment towards her ex-husband and his family in private audio messages to her mother, accusing them of being scheming and heartless.
Draycott argued that Kwong Kau, along with his sons Alex and Anthony, conspired to murder Choi, each playing a role in orchestrating her death and disposing of her body. Choi was a mother of four children, with two of them being born from her first marriage to Alex Kwong and the other two from her second marriage. All three defendants pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of Choi's body, but all three denied murdering her.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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