Detailed plan led to murder of Hong Kong model Abby Choi, court hears

Hong Kong influencer Abby Choi's ex-husband and his in-laws stand accused of orchestrating her murder in 2023, according to a trial unfolding in a high-profile case. Police uncovered fragments of the 28-year-old model's dismembered remains at a suburban property in Hong Kong in February of that year. Prosecutors claim the ex-husband, Alex Kwong, his father Kwong Kau, and brother Anthony Kwong acquired specialized tools to dispose of her body.

The trial commenced on Wednesday, as the trio pleaded not guilty to murder charges and face life imprisonment should they be found guilty.

According to prosecution lawyer Charlotte Draycott, the suspects procured equipment days before Choi was reported missing, which was later utilized to dismember her body. CCTV footage was presented in court, depicting Choi entering one of two vans used by the Kwongs in the afternoon of February 21, 2023. Subsequent footage showed the suspects parking the vans at a separate location near the property where her remains were discovered on February 24.

The three men were seen wearing face masks and appeared unfazed. Prosecutors stated that the men had meticulously planned the crime, referring to it as a "cogitated plan."

On February 25, Alex Kwong was apprehended while attempting to flee Hong Kong, following the detention of his father and brother on February 24. Prosecutors displayed a hammer to the jury, along with a forensic report indicating that the injuries on Choi's skull, inflicted by a blunt object, matched the shape of the hammer. The trial's root cause reportedly lies in financial disputes between Choi and her ex-husband's family over a luxury property, for which Choi had paid HK$60 million ($10.98 million AUD). The trial is anticipated to continue until at least December.