Prosecutors say killing of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi likely linked to a financial dispute

HONG KONG (AP) — The killing of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi was likely linked to a financial dispute with her former father-in-law over a luxury apartment, the prosecution said Wednesday, in a case that has shocked the city after Choi's dismembered body was found three years ago.

In her opening statement at the murder trial , lawyer Charlotte Draycott, representing the prosecution, alleged that Choi's ex-husband Alex Kwong, his father Kwong Kau and his brother Anthony Kwong killed Choi together in February 2023.

The lawyer said Choi’s parents were well-off, and the family of her partner Chris Tam following her divorce was extremely wealthy. The Kwong family were not wealthy, she said.

“I mentioned the money because it was, as we understand it, the root of what happened,” Draycott said.

Choi was a 28-year-old socialite and mother of four who shared her glamorous life of photo shoots and fashion shows on social media. Days before her death, she posted about attending a Christian Dior show at Paris Fashion Week.

Authorities found parts of her dismembered body at a house in a northern village in Hong Kong, where violent crime is rare.

Her ex-husband and the two other defendants were accused of killing Choi, and they face life imprisonment if convicted of murder. They were also charged with preventing the lawful burial of a body.

A nine-person jury panel will determine whether the defendants are guilty. Judge Brian Keith told them that the trio of defendants pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. Kwong Kau also pleaded not guilty to the other charge, but his sons admitted to it.

Choi and Alex Kwong had two children and remained on good terms after their divorce, Draycott said. Choi bought a luxury apartment for her two older children to live in. She had it registered under Kwong Kau’s name to avoid the higher tax she would have incurred had it been registered under her own name, Draycott said.

Kwong Kau and his wife also moved into the apartment, and received funds from their former daughter-in-law. Anthony Kwong later became a driver hired by Choi, she said.

But she said the relationship between Choi and Kwong Kau deteriorated in 2022 when he allegedly blocked Choi's wish to sell the house and buy a new one.

Kwong Kau allegedly tried to hit Choi in July 2022 when Choi and Tam, her partner, spoke to him.

Kwong Kau eventually agreed to sign a document to let Choi proceed, but the prosecution alleged that he could move back in if Choi died. In plotting to kill Choi, Draycott said, Kwong rented an apartment in a village house, and he made a plan with his two sons.

“We say the three of them decided they would do it together,” she said.

The prosecution is expected to continue its opening statement Friday. The trial is expected to last 40 days.