Suspects bought meat mincer and electric saw before socialite’s murder, court hears

Days before Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi was killed, her father-in-law and brother-in-law allegedly went on an ominous shopping spree.

An electric saw, a meat mincer and a refrigerator were among the items they bought in preparation for the killing and disposal of the mother of four, prosecutors told a Hong Kong court Friday.

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

Only parts of Choi’s body were recovered, deepening the mystery at the time surrounding the violent death of the prominent young socialite.

Her ex-husband Alex Kwong, his brother Anthony Kwong and their father Kwong Kau have pleaded not guilty to her murder during a trial that is shedding new light on Choi’s final moments.

Lead prosecutor Charlotte Draycott told jurors on Friday that the model and influencer was struck repeatedly in the head with a hammer inside a car driven by her former brother-in-law, with her ex-husband also inside.

She had been on her way to pick up her daughter from school.

About two weeks before Choi’s death, Kwong Kau and his son Anthony Kwong, who also worked as Choi’s driver, were seen visiting several shops and buying an array of items directly linked to the murder, Draycott told the court.

The items included an electric saw, a meat mincer as well as some boxes and a refrigerator, along with a large chopping board, a giant saucepan and some deodorizing supplies. Parts of Choi’s body were later found inside the refrigerator, Draycott said.

A hammer bought by Anthony Kwong is believed to be the murder weapon, Draycott said, while Choi’s ex-husband allegedly borrowed from a friend the vehicle where the murder is said to have taken place, according to the prosecution.

“This is why we say this is a cogitated plan as each person played their part in getting the premises ready,” Draycott told the court.

On February 21, 2023, Choi was due to pick up her daughter from school.

Shortly before the planned school run, Anthony and Alex met at a Starbucks, where CCTV captured Anthony making a series of gestures that Draycott suggested may have foreshadowed the attack.

Footage showed him appearing to hold something down with both hands before moving his right arm up and down, the prosecutor said.

“You may interpret that [Anthony] was indicating to [Alex] how he could pull Abby’s head down,” she told jurors as they viewed the CCTV footage.

She added that Anthony later picked Choi up, while Alex joined the vehicle at another location. During the journey, Choi exchanged text messages with her mother-in-law. The messages stopped at 2:44 pm.

Draycott said Choi was then attacked with the hammer inside the vehicle. Jurors were shown the alleged weapon, along with autopsy photographs documenting Choi’s injuries.

“The blows were savage,” she told the court.

The white vehicle carrying Choi, according to Draycott, pulled up at a house in a rural area of Hong Kong, close to the border with mainland China. She added that Choi’s blood was found in the vehicle together with Alex and Anthony Kwong’s DNA.

Kwong Kau is alleged to have arranged to have rented the property.

“They were not worried. They were not upset. It’s what they expected,” the prosecutor said, as she showed footage of Kwong Kau clad in a surgical mask near the vehicle.

Later that day, a neighbor reported electric saw noises and an odor, Draycott said, adding that all items purchased by the father-in-law and the brother-in-law were eventually recovered in the village house.

Anthony Kwong and Kwong Kau were arrested days later while Alex was subsequently arrested at a ferry pier just before he tried to flee Hong Kong, Draycott said.

The trial continues Friday afternoon and is expected to last for eight weeks.

在香港名媛蔡依玲遇害前几天，她的公公和小叔子据称进行了一次不祥的购物狂欢。

检方周五在香港法庭表示，他们购买的物品包括电锯、绞肉机和冰箱，这些物品是为杀害和处理这位四个孩子的母亲做准备的。

2023 年，崔某惨遭谋杀。她经常出席时尚活动，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。

只找到了崔某的部分遗体，这使得当时围绕这位著名年轻社交名媛的暴力死亡的谜团更加扑朔迷离。

她的前夫 Alex Kwong、他的兄弟 Anthony Kwong 和他们的父亲 Kwong Kau 在审判中对谋杀她的指控拒不不认罪，这场审判也为 Choi 的最后时刻带来了新的线索。

首席检察官夏洛特·德雷科特周五告诉陪审团，这名模特兼网红在她前姐夫驾驶的汽车内，头部被锤子反复击打，她的前夫当时也在车内。

她当时正要去学校接女儿。

德雷科特告诉法庭，在崔遇害前大约两周，有人看到邝九和他的儿子安东尼·邝（也是崔的司机）光顾了几家商店，购买了一系列与谋杀案直接相关的物品。

物品包括一台电锯、一台绞肉机、一些纸箱、一台冰箱、一块大砧板、一个大汤锅和一些除臭剂。德雷科特说，崔的部分遗体后来在冰箱里被发现。

德雷科特表示，据信安东尼·邝购买的锤子是凶器，而据检方称，崔的前夫据称从朋友那里借来了据称发生谋杀案的车辆。

“这就是为什么我们说这是一个经过深思熟虑的计划，因为每个人都为准备场地贡献了自己的力量，”德雷科特告诉法庭。

2023年2月21日，崔女士原本应该去学校接女儿。

在计划送孩子上学前不久，安东尼和亚历克斯在星巴克见面，监控录像拍到安东尼做出了一系列手势，德雷科特认为这些手势可能预示着袭击的发生。

检察官称，录像显示他似乎用双手按住什么东西，然后上下摆动右臂。

“你们可以理解为[安东尼]在向[亚历克斯]示意他如何把艾比的头拉下来，”她在陪审团观看监控录像时说道。

她补充说，安东尼后来接上了崔，而亚历克斯则在另一个地点上了车。途中，崔和婆婆互发短信。短信交流在下午2点44分停止。

德雷科特称，崔随后在车内遭到锤子袭击。陪审团观看了据称的凶器以及记录崔伤势的尸检照片。

“那些拳脚非常残忍，”她告诉法庭。

据德雷科特称，崔某乘坐的白色车辆停在了香港郊区一处靠近中国大陆边境的民宅前。她补充说，警方在车内发现了崔某的血迹，以及邝某和邝某的DNA。

据称，邝九安排租下了这处房产。

“他们并不担心，也不生气，这都在他们的预料之中。”检察官一边说着，一边播放着邝九戴着外科口罩在车旁的录像。

德雷科特说，当天晚些时候，一位邻居报告说听到电锯声并闻到一股气味，他还补充说，岳父和姐夫购买的所有物品最终都在村里的房子里找到了。

德雷科特说，几天后，邝安东和邝九被捕，而亚历克斯随后在试图逃离香港之前在渡轮码头被捕。

审判将于周五下午继续进行，预计将持续八周。