Hong Kong model’s ex-husband, former in-laws charged with her murder

Abby Choi’s ex-husband and ex-mother-in-law were held without bail on Monday on charges of joint murder, just days after police found the remains of the Hong Kong model.

Choi, 28, is a model with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram. Her last post was on February 15, featuring a photo shoot she had done with the fashion magazine L’Officiel Monaco.

Choi went missing on February 21, according to a report filed later with Hong Kong police.

Three days later, police found her dismembered body in a refrigerator in a house rented by her former father-in-law, in a Hong Kong suburb about 30 minutes from the border with mainland China. They also found a meat cleaver and an electric chainsaw at the scene, according to the statement.

On Sunday, authorities found the skull of a young woman believed to be Choi in a cooking pot seized from the home.

Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong, her father, Kwong Kau, and her brother, Anthony Kwong, were charged with murder. His former mother-in-law, Jenny Li, faces one count of perverting the course of justice. The four are being held without bail.

Fight about money

Choi had a financial dispute involving tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars with his ex-husband and his family, police said, noting that “some people” were unhappy with the way Choi handled his assets.

Choi’s friend Bernard Cheng said they have four children: two boys aged 10 and three, and two girls aged eight and six. Kwong, 28, is the father of two older children, and his current husband, Chris Tam, is the father of two young children.

Tam said he was very grateful to have Choi in his life and praised him for his support, his friend Pao Jo-yee relayed in a Facebook post.

“When Abby was alive, she was a very kind person and always wanted to help people,” he said in the post. “I think anyone who had the opportunity to be her family or friends was blessed.”

Cheng said Choi has a very good relationship with his family, and will travel with his current family and his ex-husband together. Choi’s son-in-law is now one of the founders of a famous Yunnan noodle shop in Hong Kong, local newspaper The Standard reported.

Violent crime is rare in Hong Kong

Choi’s gruesome killing has shocked many in Hong Kong, as the self-governed southern Chinese city is considered safe with a low rate of violent crime.

Her case is one of the most gruesome murders seen in Hong Kong since 2013, when a man killed her parents and their heads were found in a refrigerator. In another case from 1999, a woman was kidnapped and tortured by three members of an organized crime group before her death.

The hearing of the case was adjourned till May 8.