Money the ‘root cause’ behind Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi’s murder, prosecutors say

Hong Kong Court Hears Money Dispute Was Central to Abby Choi Killing Case

Healfromzero.com – The murder trial of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi opened Wednesday with prosecutors portraying a bitter family conflict over property and financial support as the driving force behind her death in 2023.

Choi’s former husband, Alex Kwong, his brother Anthony Kwong, and their father, Kwong Kau, are charged with murder. Each entered a not-guilty plea when proceedings began. The case is expected to run for at least eight weeks, with the next hearing scheduled for Friday.

Her killing shocked Hong Kong and attracted worldwide attention. Choi had appeared at fashion events, mixed with entertainment figures, and built a substantial online following. The discovery that only some of her remains had been found intensified public concern and widespread speculation at the time.

Prosecutors Describe a Breakdown Over a Luxury Flat

In her opening address, prosecutor Charlotte Draycott told a jury made up of eight men and one woman that the enormous gap in wealth between Choi and the Kwong family lay at the center of the alleged motive.

“Money seems to be the root cause of this case.”

Although Choi had divorced Alex Kwong before her death, she remained connected to his family and continued to provide them with financial help. Her newer partner came from an “extremely wealthy” family, while the Kwongs, Draycott said, “were not rich people.”

Choi had given the family what the prosecution called a “generous allowance” after the separation. That support included a Hong Kong apartment worth HK$60 million, or about US$7.6 million, registered in the name of Kwong Kau. The arrangement was tied in part to the family’s role in caring for the two children Choi shared with Alex Kwong.

The relationship began to deteriorate during 2022, when Choi sought to sell the renovated luxury apartment. Prosecutors said she intended to relocate her former in-laws farther from central Hong Kong, to an area closer to the school her children could attend.

That proposed sale became a major source of tension. Kwong Kau, a retired police sergeant, eventually disowned Choi and was alleged to have tried to assault her on one occasion. Choi herself had grown angry and increasingly worried that the Kwongs might turn her children against her. She referred to her former father-in-law as a “crook” and “ungrateful,” the court heard.

Alleged Family Plan

Draycott told jurors that prosecutors will seek to show Kwong Kau developed a plan to kill Choi so he could retain control of the flat and return to living there.

“If she died, the flat would be in his name and he could move back there.”

The prosecution alleges that Kwong Kau acted with his sons, Alex and Anthony. Draycott said all three men had a role in the alleged plot and in events following Choi’s death.

“He made a plan with his two sons Alex, her ex-husband, and Anthony, and we say three of them decided they would do it together.”

“Each of them played a part by bringing her death and burying her body.”

The trial will examine those allegations in detail. The defendants’ not-guilty pleas mean the prosecution must prove its case in court.

Disappearance and Arrests

Choi, the mother of four, disappeared on February 21, 2023. Two of her children were with Alex Kwong. Three days after she went missing, investigators recovered body parts believed to be hers from a house in Tai Po, in Hong Kong’s New Territories.

Police also found a meat slicer, an electric saw and clothing at the property. The Kwongs were arrested shortly afterward.

The case became one of the most closely watched criminal investigations in the city in part because of the disturbing circumstances of the discovery and Choi’s public profile. For readers following the proceedings, the trial’s opening arguments offer the prosecution’s account rather than a final judicial finding. The evidence, witness testimony and defense case will determine how the allegations are assessed.

Choi’s Background

Choi was born on Hainan, an island off southern China, and moved to Hong Kong when she was five years old. She met Alex Kwong while she was still at school, and they married in 2014.

During their marriage, Alex Kwong did not have a job and relied on financial assistance from Choi’s family, Draycott told the court. Even after their relationship ended, Choi’s continuing support for the Kwong family kept their lives closely linked.

That connection is now central to the prosecution’s account of how disagreements over housing, money and the children evolved into the alleged murder plot. As the proceedings continue, the court is set to hear further evidence on the family’s relationships, the events surrounding Choi’s disappearance and the actions prosecutors attribute to each defendant.