[0:00]Hong Kong has a reputation for being one of the world's safest cities. Now, a horrific murder is sending shockwaves through the financial hub.
[0:10]Abby Choi, a 28-year-old model and socialite, was reported missing last Wednesday. Two days later, parts of her dismembered body were found in a house in the city's Tai Po district. Now, her former husband and in-laws have been arrested. For the past week, global media coverage has been dominated by her tragic death. It is still very early in the investigation and the trial has yet to begin. But today we break down the details of the case revealed so far, and take a look into what exactly transpired between Abby and her former in-laws, and why they would do such a horrible thing to Abby. The video today contains a lot of grisly details, so if you are sensitive to this type of content, please pass this one. Our case begins now. The murder of Abby Choi.
[1:11]At 28 years old, Abby Choi was just starting out on her path to becoming an international style icon. It didn't take her long to establish herself as a trendsetter in Hong Kong, who has also been featured in international publications like Elle, Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. Just recently, she was featured on the cover of L'Officiel Monaco's February issue, where she was dubbed, "one of the most sought-after influencers." Abby married her ex-husband Alex Kwong when she was 18, and had two children with him, who are now aged eight and ten. She also gave birth to two adorable children with her current partner Tam Chuk Kwan, the son of the founder of a popular noodle chain in Hong Kong. Her life was filled with happiness. But the socialite was reported missing two weeks ago on February 21st, when she failed to show up and collect her child from school. Her mysterious disappearance has sparked a media frenzy, with many speculating that something sinister may have happened to her. On the day she went missing, Choi's former brother-in-law Anthony Kwong, who was her personal driver and business partner, was believed to have driven her to Kadoorie Hill, and they were supposed to travel to pick up her and her ex-husband's daughter. So the police contacted Choi's ex-husband's brother and parents when they received the missing persons report. Their inquiries were hindered, however, by false and misleading information provided by all three. This likely delayed the investigation and prevented the police from finding Choi sooner. On February 24, three days after her disappearance, officers discovered Choi at a village house in Lung Mei Tsuen rented by Kwong Kau, Choi's former father-in-law. She was in a horrible state. Legs believed to be the victim's were found inside the refrigerator in the village house's ground-floor flat, which had been carefully prepared as a site for cutting up the body before the pieces were disposed of. The walls of the sparsely furnished flat were also covered with a sail. The sail was likely used to contain the mess of dismembering the body, while the refrigerator was used to store the body parts until they could be disposed of in a discreet manner. A meat grinder, an electric saw, and two pots of soup containing human tissue were also discovered, as well as two types of choppers, a hammer, face shields, black raincoats and Choi's purple handbag. That was the handbag she wore on the day she disappeared. Her legs were found inside the refrigerator, but her head, torso and hands were still missing at the time. But a few days later, a skull and several ribs believed to be Abby Choi's were discovered in one of two large soup pots police found in the village house. Police said one of the pots measuring 50 centimeters deep, and 40 centimeters in diameter was almost full, and covered with thick fat, some green radishes and carrots and meat believed to be human flesh. A forensic expert explained in a media interview that the murderer wanted to dispose of the head and limbs to increase the difficulty of identifying fingerprints. Human bones were also found in the smaller pot. Hair was stuck to the skull. A hole measuring 6.5 centimeters by 5.5 centimeters was found at the back of the skull. Forensic experts believed it was the result of a fatal blow that killed her. There are still parts of her body missing, including her torso and hands. Several blood spatters were also found inside a seven-seater vehicle recovered at the crime scene, which could have been the vehicle Abby was attacked in. The force immediately arrested Choi's ex-brother-in-law and her former in-laws, but her 28-year-old former husband, Alex Kwong, was nowhere to be found. Choi's friend Pao Jo-yee offered a reward of 2 million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to Kwong's arrest. A Taiwanese Internet celebrity known as Doris added her own 1 million Hong Kong dollars to the reward. And on February 25, police arrested Choi's ex-husband at Tung Chung Development Pier at around 1 p.m., after learning of his plan to board a speedboat. An estimated 4 million Hong Kong dollars worth of luxury watches and 500,000 Hong Kong in cash were found on the suspect. According to police, Alex Kwong was trying to hide in a luxury flat in the Arch Sky Tower in central Hong Kong, allegedly rented by a woman named Ng Chi Wing, who was Choi's ex father-in-law's mistress. She was also later arrested and accused of renting the luxury flat to help hide Choi's ex-husband. While at Hung Hom Police Station, he complained of feeling unwell and was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Later on February 27th, Choi's ex-husband, brother and parents-in-law were all remanded in jail without bail after appearing before a court on charges of murder and perverting the course of justice. In the ongoing search for missing body parts of dismembered socialite Abby Choi, more than 100 police officers combed through a Hong Kong landfill on February 28, after reviewing a security camera footage near the crime scene in a Tai Po village, which allegedly showed a suspect moving bags from the flat where parts of her body were found to a nearby refuse collection area. She was the mother of two children with Alex Kwong. Why did the Kwong family have to kill her in such a brutal manner? While the motive is yet to be confirmed, local media reports say that Choi could have been murdered over a luxury property dispute. Abby Choi was the eldest of three daughters, coming from a wealthy family who ran a construction business with dealings in mainland China. It is known that even after the divorce, Choi supported Alex Kwong's family. Her former in-laws lived in a luxury apartment that she owned, and she helped her brother-in-law purchase a house. She at one point ran a pancake stall with Anthony Kwong, who also served as her personal driver. An Instagram account allegedly belonging to Anthony has several friendly photos featuring Choi, wishing her a happy birthday and referring to her as "sis." Yet police say this relationship began to sour last year when Choi made plans to sell the 70 million Hong Kong dollar property, which she bought under her former father-in-law's name. Choi's decision to sell this property enraged her former father-in-law Kau. Even though Choi promised to find the Kwongs a new home, her plan was met with fierce resistance from Kau. It is believed that the former father-in-law, who rented the unit, where she was butchered, in early February, masterminded the murder. Kwong Kau is a former Hong Kong police sergeant, who retired from the force in 2005, having received a medal for long service in 2001. The Chinese-language newspaper, Shin Chu Daily, alleges that he was forced to resign after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman. Clearly, this news casts doubt on his credibility. His son, Alex Kwong, may have his own criminal history. Local police also revealed that he had been on the run for six years for a different crime, his involvement in a gold investment scam.
[9:38]Also, the probe found that Choi had not registered her marriage with her current husband. This means that her assets would be inherited by her two children, a son and a daughter, with Alex Kwong. Could that be a part of their plan? Taking all her money through the children they had together. It is possible that Kwong might have been looking for a way to get her assets since their divorce. As of right now, we can't say for sure. All four suspects were officially charged in court, were denied bail, and would be held on remand pending investigations. Choi's former father-in-law's mistress is currently released on bail after being charged with abetting a murder suspect. The case has been adjourned until May 8, 2023. In Hong Kong, life imprisonment is the mandatory sentence for murder convictions. Those who conspire to murder anyone are also liable to life imprisonment. However, if the police fail to find evidence that Alex Kwong was directly involved in the murder or part of the conspiracy, that would be a different story. As the days go by, the case will become more clear to us. Choi's parents and her husband are in shock and pain after her passing. Her morning partner said a few days ago that he will continue to care for her four children, adding that he is grateful for her presence in his life. Her husband, speaking to local media through a family friend, described Choi as a kindhearted and good person who always wanted to help others. In an interview with the Associated Press, Choi's friend Bernard Cheng said he could never imagine that a person who is so good, so full of love, and so innocent can be killed like this. My prayers go out to Abby Choi, may she rest in peace.
[11:48]That's all for today. Thanks for watching.
