A police van believed to be carrying relatives of murdered model Abby Choi on its arrival at the Kowloon City Law Courts Building in Hong Kong, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. The ex-husband and former in-laws of a slain Hong Kong model and influencer appeared in court Monday on a joint murder charge after police found her body parts in a refrigerator. Photo: TVB Hong Kong via AP

Four former family members of Hong Kong socialite and model Abby Choi Tin-fung, whose skull was found in a soup pot in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), were remanded in custody without bail after appearing before the court on Monday on charges of murder and perverting the course of justice, local media reported, adding that the case was adjourned for judgment until May 8.

Police  charged Choi's ex-husband Alex Kwong Kong-chi, his father Kwong Kau and elder brother Anthony Kwong Kong-ki, with one count of murder, while his mother Jenny Li Sui-heung, had been provisionally charged with perverting the course of justice.

The skull of the deceased was found in a soup pot on Sunday evening, police said, noting that there was a hole in the skull of the right back ear with a diameter of about six centimeters. It could not be ruled out that Choi was fatally injured by a blunt object on her way to Tai Po on the same day, the police added.

The body of the 28-year-old model and socialite, who had been missing for several days, was found in a village in Tai Po on February 24 and shocked the whole city. Initial investigations found that the victim was involved in a major dispute over money with her ex-husband's family and that some were unhappy with the way they handled the property.

Local media earlier reported that preliminary findings suggested that the husband's father Kwong Kau, a former Hong Kong police officer who left the force more than a decade ago, was the mastermind.

Choi's body was found dismembered by police on Monday with her left and right leg stumps in a freezer, moreover, a soup pot in the house was found mixed with human tissue. Choi went missing after entering a car driven by her ex-husband's brother on the night of February 21.

The victim, who married Kwong Kong-chi when she was 18, gave birth to two daughters before their marriage broke up. However, Choi still took care of her ex-husband's family, including buying a house for them and employing her ex-husband's brother as a chauffeur.

Police said on Monday that the suspects have been uncooperative and that they will try to find enough evidence to bring the perpetrators to justice.

In addition, Hong Kong media reported that the mistress of Kwong Kong-chi's father Kwong Kau was also arrested on Sunday night on suspicion of helping Kwong rent a house and helping him hide. The police detained her overnight and will further investigate whether she knew about the murder plan in advance.

Choi's current partner Chris Tam has been in a state of extreme distress and pain since the tragedy, according to media reports. Despite Abby Choi having four children, two with Chris and two with her ex-husband, Alex Kwong Kong-chi, Chris has promised to take care of all of his late wife's children.

Global Times