Upon her return, authorities claim that her ex-spouse and two relatives were already conspiring to kill her in her native Hong Kong.
Hong Kong police have charged Alex Kwong, who is 28 years old, and his father Kwong Kau, aged 65, as well as his older brother Anthony Kwong, who is 31 years old, with the horrifying killing of his former spouse on 27 February.
In early February, officials claimed that a trio rented an apartment in the picturesque coastal village of Tsuen Mei Lung, where a workshop for the disposal of bodies was later discovered. The workshop was splatter-proof and concealed pots of soup, which contained parts of Choi’s corpse.
“The apartment was meticulously organized by ruthless murderers,” stated police superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun during a press briefing on 25th February.
“Tools that are used to dismember human bodies were found in the flat, including meat grinders, chainsaws, long raincoats, gloves, and masks….
The suspects took apart the body while wearing face shields and raincoats to avoid getting blood on themselves, and they used a sail to cover the walls of the apartment.
All four defendants reportedly appeared in court on Tuesday, February 28, without making a plea yet, and bail was denied. Jenny Li Sui-heun, the 63-year-old mother of Alex Kwong, was also charged with perverting the course of justice and allegedly destroying evidence.
News outlets and social platforms in mainland China and Taiwan have extensively covered the gruesome specifics of the incident, causing a ripple effect in a city often considered one of the most secure globally.
“A “kind-hearted and good person who always wanted to help others”, described Choi’s partner Tam Chuk Kwan, also known as Chris Tam.”
Mr. Tam expressed, “With the help of a family acquaintance, she provided me with support and bestowed upon me an abundance of love. Additionally, she raised four delightful and well-behaved children. It has truly been a privilege to be a part of Abby’s family or to call her a friend.”
“I haven’t imagined a person who’s so good, full of love, and innocent, that anything bad doesn’t do, and will be killed like this,” Bernard Cheng, a friend of Choi, told the Associated Press.
“My heart is still burdened. I can’t sleep soundly.”
Abby Choi Tin-fung, the eldest of three daughters, hailed from a wealthy family in China mainland and was involved in business construction dealings.
In her interview with French fashion magazine L’Officiel Monaco, she described herself as someone who enjoys blending and merging various aesthetics, while also being passionate about immersing herself in new fashion ideas and experimenting with different styles.
Currently, 10 is the eldest among them. They had two sons in total, both of whom were approximately the same age. Furthermore, Choi and Alex Kwong tied the knot in 2012, when she was merely 18 years old.
The couple, Choi and Kwan Chuk Tam, who were divorced sometime before 2016, began a relationship at a well-known, casual chain restaurant founded by Choi’s father.
Police say that Choi, who used to be a former in-law helping her family in the exclusive Kadoorie Hill neighbourhood of Hong Kong, has bought another luxury apartment for her family, which includes two children. Despite that, Choi has managed to maintain close ties with the Kwongs.
According to the Straits Times newspaper in Singapore, Anthony Choi allegedly has an Instagram account featuring several friendly photos, in which he wishes “Sis” a happy birthday. It is also reported that at one point, she served as his personal driver and ran a pancake stall with Anthony Kwong.
Bernard Cheng, the South-based socialite from Hong Kong, informed his wife, Mrs. Kwong, and Mr. Tam’s families, including everyone, that she took great care of them, including her husband’s family. She even mentioned that she would sometimes go on holiday trips with both Mr. Kwong and Mr. Tam.
However, the police say that the relationship between Choi and Alex Kwong, the father of allegedly Kau, turned sour last year when Choi made plans to sell the Hill Kadoorie apartment, which had been registered in the name of Alex Kwong. Despite this, Choi still paid the stamp duty to avoid any complications.
According to mortgage records reported by the Hong Kong news website HK01, Kau had successfully settled the entire mortgage and acquired the flat in July 2019 for an approximate amount of HK$73m by October of that same year.
Choi even promised to find a new home for Kwongs, despite encountering fierce resistance from a source in the Morning Post who informed her about the enforcement law.
According to another local newspaper, the daily Oriental, Choi led the feud, which prompted her to consult a lawyer who advised her to prove that she could still receive money from the sale and that she could prove she paid for the property.
Regardless of whether or not the apartment was ever sold or clear, the police allege that Kau Kwong was the mastermind behind the plot to spark a conspiracy against his former daughter-in-law.
In 2001, Kwong Kau was awarded a medal for his lengthy service, and he subsequently retired from the police force in 2005 as a former sergeant of the Hong Kong police.
The Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily claims that he was compelled to step down following allegations of sexually assaulting a woman.
According to the Hong Kong police, Tsuen Mei Lung, a scenic seaside village in Hong Kong, is a popular spot for city-dwellers to get away. In early February, he rented a three-storey flat on the ground floor of a house in Cove Plover.
The arrest of Ms Ng, or Ms Wu in Mandarin Chinese, was the outcome of the discovery of Alex Kwong’s supposed refuge, another apartment in the city, and the residence he leased with the assistance of a 47-year-old woman named only as Ms Ng.
According to Oriental Daily News, it has been reported by local media that she has rarely been showing up for work lately and has informed her colleagues about a wealthy elderly gentleman who has expressed his desire to support her. The reports further state that she works as a masseuse and has been involved with Kwong Kau for approximately six months.
On 21 February, Anthony Kwong purportedly utilized a seven-seater vehicle to fetch Choi from the Kadoorie Hill apartment, one of her children.
As they approached the entrance of the Lion Rock Tunnel, which cuts through the north mountains of downtown Hong Kong, the vehicle in which Kwong Alex’s ex-husband Choi was aboard, came to a stop.
Prosecutors told the court that Mr. Kwong may have his own criminal history, as he has allegedly been wanted since 2015 for his alleged involvement in a HK$5m gold scam, in which he reportedly conned young men into making false investments on a social media app.
Sporting a lavender purse, she was last spotted donning a cream-colored shirt, cream-colored pants, and cream-colored sandals. Authorities state that Choi was declared as a missing person later that day after she failed to show up to collect her child, but the subsequent events remain uncertain.
Mr. Chung said that the alleged father and two brothers gave misleading or false statements, creating plenty of smokescreens and lies to mislead investigators and waste their time checking the surveillance cameras. Officers contacted the Kwongs for information.
Swooped on the house in Lung Mei Tsuen, police, having analysed and cross-checked the Kwongs’ stories, it was not until 24 February.
The Morning Post reported that the village flat contained vacant bedrooms, devoid of the typical decorations and furniture found in an occupied residence.
Police found a disturbing butcher’s shop containing Choi’s violet purse, along with dark raincoats and face shields, a mallet, two varieties of cleaver, a power saw, and a mincing machine.
Investigators suspect that minced meat and green radishes, along with two full pots of soup containing carrots, were found in the refrigerator, along with two dismembered human legs.
Choi was fatally struck in the back of the head inside the seven-seater car, according to investigators’ current belief. Upon thorough analysis at a police facility, a skull and multiple ribs were discovered within the soup.
A search for the fugitive began, but Alex Kwong was nowhere to be located, and Kau, Anthony, and Choi’s ex-mother-in-law Jenny Li were promptly apprehended.
Mr Tam’s family made significant contributions by providing crucial information that led to the arrest of Mr Kwong. In recognition of their efforts, a reward of HK$2m was offered by Jo-yee Pao, a friend of Choi, through Chinese-language news electrified on social media. Additionally, Doris, a well-known Taiwanese internet celebrity, added HK$1m to the reward.
According to the police, Mr Kwong, who is said to have been rented by Ms Ng, disappeared in a high-end apartment located in the Arch Sky Tower in downtown Hong Kong.
Finally, on Saturday, February 25th, it was learned that Mr. Kwong was allegedly planning to escape, as he was intercepted by officers at the Chung Tung Pier Development in western Lantau Island, near Hong Kong’s international airport.
The Morning Post reported that Mr. Kwong was arrested for allegedly aiding his escape. The police have apprehended Lam, a 41-year-old employee at a yacht rental company, on suspicion of assisting Mr. Kwong for a supposed fee of HK$100,000. Upon his arrest, Lam was found in possession of HK$500,000 in cash and various high-end timepieces worth approximately HK$4m.
On 22 February, Kau and Anthony are believed to have paid a visit to a clifftop burial ground located to the east of the city center called Junk Bay Cemetery, approximately 100 law enforcement officers arrived later that same day.
Divers from the elite police force ‘Flying Tigers’ in Hong Kong scoured the forested crags and cemetery, searching for water while abseilers and dog handlers looked for Choi’s missing body parts.
As per the World Bank, contemporary Hong Kong possesses one of the most minimal rates of homicide globally, with a range of 0.2 to 0.9 killings per 100,000 individuals annually, in spite of its extensive background of organized criminal activities. In contrast, the United Kingdom exhibits a range of 0.9 to 1.2, while the United States showcases a range of 4.4 to 6.5.
In 2015, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The case of Henry Chau Hoi-leung in 2013, where he murdered his parents and concealed their heads in the refrigerator, was the most recent murder to capture significant media attention.
Before it was revealed that the murder of Man-yee Fan, a 23-year-old nightclub hostess, was carried out by three mobsters, she was kidnapped and tortured for more than a month, eventually being killed and found with her severed head inside a stuffed doll named Hello Kitty.
Chris Emmett, a former Hong Kong police officer, told The Independent that the case reminded him of a spree of murders committed in 1982 by one of Hong Kong’s few known serial killers, Lam Kor-wan, who covered his victims in plastic sheets and dismembered them in his apartment using an electric saw.
Over 100,000 supporters, homage, kind words, and expressions of sympathy inundated Choi’s Instagram profile in the days following her demise, leading to an approximate 20,000 rise in her follower tally.
“Madman,” “devil,” and “ruthless” remarks overwhelmed Anthony Kwong’s social media posts, numerous of which exhibited him enjoying meals at eateries or relaxing on the deck of a luxurious boat.
On Weibo, a Chinese social network, there were approximately 110 million people discussing the murder. According to the Taiwanese Times, the case was compared to the 2019 South Korean film Parasite, where a poor family slowly infiltrates the household of a wealthy family. Many Chinese-language social media users, as well as some media outlets, were engaged in this discussion.
The Abby and Paomes Charitable Organisation, an animal rescue non-profit co-founded by Choi, expressed their condolences on social media, stating, “May you find eternal peace as we continue to uphold your legacy. You consistently aided animals and embodied kindness and compassion.”
Allegedly, it was stated that “which is akin to a marvel,” the feline eventually managed to survive and Abby was adamant about it, however, I believed that we were unable to rescue the cat. A representative from the organization recounted the tale of how she once rescued a gravely wounded cat that had been struck by a vehicle and was already drawing in insects.
The Straits Times reported that Choi Kwan Chap Tam’s father, the founder of the chain restaurant, said that Choi Kwan Chap Tam’s mother was responsible and that she always made sure to bring meals for birthday celebrations, Mother’s Day gifts, and family gatherings, while not keeping herself distant from the family’s employees.
A friend of the Tams mentioned that they were able to mourn privately, hence they advised them to steer clear of any news sources and remove news applications from their mobile devices. Additionally, Choi’s mother is taking care of all four of her children.
The Morning Post also reported that Ms. Choi, a pupil at an elite international school, will be restricted from using phones and will receive support from a therapy team that offers counseling to students in need.
Meanwhile, despite already possessing the HK$73m Kadoorie Hill apartment, which is theoretically reserved for individuals with assets below HK$1.85m, Hong Kong authorities indicated that they would initiate a distinct inquiry into Kwong Kau following the disclosure by the Post that he had purchased a government-subsidized flat.
On 26th February, residents of Tsuen Mei Lung were still deciding how to respond to the unusual and disturbing events happening in their village.
“But a different spokesperson mentioned that it is important to show consideration for the family and reach out to them initially,” a local individual informed The Straits Times. “A few individuals have proposed that we coordinate a Taoist ritual to soothe the soul of the departed.”