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

A family dispute over money was the “root cause” that motivated the killing and dismemberment of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi, prosecutors told a court Wednesday, as the trial of her ex-husband and in-laws accused of murdering her began.

The gruesome 2023 murder of Choi, who rubbed shoulders with showbiz elites at fashion events and had a significant following online, sent shockwaves through the wealthy financial hub and made global headlines.

Police at the time revealed only parts of Choi’s body had been located, deepening the intense media reporting - and social media speculation - over why the life of a popular socialite had been cut short so violently.

Her ex-husband Alex Kwong, his brother Anothy Kwong and their father Kwong Kau are on trial for her killing. All three officially pleaded not guilty to her murder on Wednesday.

In her opening speech, prosecutor Charlotte Draycott highlighted the significant difference in wealth between Choi and her former in-laws, describing how arguments over finances and her plans to sell a luxury apartment set in motion what became a family plot to murder her.

“Money seems to be to root cause of this case,” Draycott told the jury of eight men and one woman.

Choi was no longer married to Alex Kwong by the time of her murder and her new partner hailed from an “extremely wealthy” family.

But Choi remained in contact with the Kwong family, who Dracott said “were not rich people,” and helped financially support them.

After separating with her ex-husband, Draycott said, Choi continued to provide “generous allowance” to the Kwongs, including a HK$60 million ($7.6 million) apartment under Kwong Kau’s name, in part because they helped take care of her two children with Alex Kwong.

The once cordial relationship with Kwong Kau, a retired police sergeant, turned soar in 2022 when she tried to sell the luxuriously renovated apartment, and move her in-laws to an area further away from downtown where her children could go to school, according to Draycott.

Tensions spiraled in the months leading up to her murder. Kwong Kau came to disown Choi and allegedly tried to assault her on one occasion , Draycott said.

Choi was also angry, describing her ex-father-in-law as a “ crook” and “ungrateful” as she grew increasingly worried that the Kwongs would turn her children against her.

Draycott said Kwong Kau eventually plotted to murder Choi.

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

“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,” she told the jurors. “Each of them played a part by bringing her death and burying her body.”

Police previously said Choi - a mother of four, including two children with her ex-husband Alex Kwong - went missing on February 21, 2023.

Three days later, body parts believed to be hers were recovered at a house in the city’s Tai Po district, where police also found a meat slicer, an electric saw, and some clothing.

The Kwongs were arrested soon after.

On Wednesday, the jury also heard Choi was born on the southern Chinese island of Hainan and moved to Hong Kong at the age of five.

She met Alex Kwong when she was still in school and the pair got married in 2014.

During her marriage, Alex Kwong never had a job and depended on Choi’s family to support them, Draycott said.

The trial continues Friday and is expected to last at least eight weeks.

检察官周三在法庭上表示，香港名媛蔡碧芳被杀害并肢解的“根本原因”是家庭因金钱纠纷而起的。当天，蔡碧芳的前夫及其公婆被控谋杀她的案件开庭审理。

2023 年，崔某惨遭谋杀。她经常在时尚活动中与演艺界精英人士交往，并在网上拥有大量粉丝。这起骇人听闻的谋杀案震惊了富裕的金融中心，并成为全球头条新闻。

当时警方透露只找到了崔顺实的部分遗体，这加剧了媒体的密集报道和社交媒体的猜测，人们纷纷猜测这位受欢迎的社交名媛为何会如此暴力地英年早逝。

她的前夫Alex Kwong、他的兄弟Anothy Kwong以及他们的父亲Kwong Kau因涉嫌杀害她而受审。三人于周三正式否认了谋杀指控。

检察官夏洛特·德雷科特在开场白中强调了崔某与其前夫家之间巨大的财富差距，并描述了围绕财务问题的争吵以及她出售豪华公寓的计划如何引发了一场最终导致她被谋杀的家庭阴谋。

“金钱似乎是这起案件的根本原因，”德雷科特对由八名男性和一名女性组成的陪审团说道。

崔在遇害时已与Alex Kwong离婚，她的新伴侣来自一个“极其富有”的家庭。

但崔先生一直与邝家保持联系，德拉科特说邝家“并不富裕”，崔先生在经济上帮助他们。

德雷科特表示，崔与前夫分居后，继续向邝氏夫妇提供“慷慨的津贴”，其中包括以邝九的名义购买的价值 6000 万港元（760 万美元）的公寓，部分原因是他们帮助照顾她与亚历克斯·邝所生的两个孩子。

据德雷科特称，她与退休警长邝九曾经友好的关系在 2022 年急转直下，当时她试图出售这套经过豪华装修的公寓，并将她的公婆搬到离市中心更远的地方，以便她的孩子可以上学。

在崔女士遇害前的几个月里，双方关系日益紧张。德雷科特说，邝九后来与崔女士断绝关系，并且据称曾试图殴打她。

崔女士也很生气，她形容她的前公公是“骗子”和“忘恩负义的人”，她越来越担心邝家会挑拨她的孩子和她之间的关系。

德雷科特说，邝九最终策划谋杀崔。

德雷科特说：“如果她去世了，公寓就会登记在他的名下，他可以搬回去住。”

她告诉陪审团：“他与他的两个儿子亚历克斯、她的前夫和安东尼一起制定了计划，我们认为他们三人决定共同实施这项谋杀。他们每个人都参与其中，导致她死亡并埋葬了她的尸体。”

警方此前表示，崔女士（育有四个孩子，其中两个是她与前夫Alex Kwong所生）于2023年2月21日失踪。

三天后，警方在香港大埔区的一所房子里发现了据信是她的尸体残骸，并在那里发现了切肉机、电锯和一些衣物。

邝氏夫妇随后被捕。

周三，陪审团还听取了崔某出生于中国南部海南岛，5岁时移居香港的证词。

她还在上学时就认识了 Alex Kwong，两人于 2014 年结婚。

德雷科特说，在婚姻期间，亚历克斯·邝从未工作过，一直依靠崔家的供养。

审判将于周五继续进行，预计至少持续八周。