What We Know
Abby Choi: What We Know
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Alex Kwong, Anthony Kwong and Kwong Kau have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Abby Choi and are presumed innocent; the trial is ongoing. Alex and Anthony Kwong have pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of a body; Kwong Kau denies that charge.
Abby Choi, a 28-year-old Hong Kong model and influencer and a mother of four, was reported missing on Feb. 21, 2023; her remains were found in a village house in Tai Po three days later. On Sept. 30, 2026, prosecutors opened their case at the High Court. Here's what the jury has heard so far, what the defense says, and what's still open.
What's confirmed
WHAT PROSECUTORS SAY (their opening statement, not a finding)
- Feb. 21, 2023Abby Choi is reported missing. NBC News/AP; CNN
- Feb. 24, 2023Police find her remains in a village house in Tai Po. CNN; AFP/HKFP
- June 18–19, 2023Family and friends hold a pink-themed funeral, said to be her favourite colour. CNN; SCMP; Reuters
- Sept. 30, 2026The case is listed at the High Court as HKSAR v. KWONG Kong-kit Anthony, KWONG Kau, KWONG Kong-chi Alex (HCCC 198/2025), Deputy High Court Judge Keith, open court. Hong Kong Judiciary, Daily Cause List
- Sept. 30A nine-member jury is told that all three men pleaded not guilty to murder; Alex and Anthony Kwong pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of a body, and Kwong Kau pleaded not guilty to it. AFP/HKFP; AP; SCMP; Dimsum Daily
- Kwong Kau is a retired police sergeant. CNN; AFP/HKFP; SCMP
- Prosecutor Charlotte Draycott SC told the jury that money was the root cause. CNN; The Standard; AP
- Prosecutors say Choi kept supporting her former in-laws after the separation, including a luxury flat registered in her former father-in-law's name, and that when she moved to sell it the relationship soured. CNN; AFP/HKFP; The Standard
- "We say three of them decided they would do it together," Draycott told the jury. CNN; AFP/HKFP
The defense
- The defense has not yet presented its case. Its position so far is the pleas: all three deny murder, and Kwong Kau also denies the burial charge. Admitting the burial charge is not admitting murder.
What we don't know
- How each man will answer the evidence. The defense hasn't said.
- Whether the jury finds that all three planned and carried out her killing, and whether the father had any part in it.
What happens next
- The prosecution's opening continues Friday, Oct. 2. The trial is expected to run into December. The three face life in prison if convicted of murder. AFP/HKFP; AP; The Standard
- We'll follow up when there's a verdict.
A note on this report
Reporting follows the Hong Kong court's orders: nothing from the hearings held before the jury was sworn, and Abby Choi's children are not identified. No part of her death is shown or recreated.
Sources
- Hong Kong Judiciary, Daily Cause List (Sept. 30, 2026) Primary recorde-services.judiciary.hk/dcl/view.jsp?lang=en&date=30092026&court=CACFI
- AFP via Hong Kong Free Press Reportinghongkongfp.com/2026/09/30/ex-husband-in-laws-accused-of-murdering-hong-kong-model-appear-in-court/
- AP (Kanis Leung) via WSLS Reportingwsls.com/news/world/2026/09/30/prosecutors-say-killing-of-hong-kong-socialite-abby-choi-likely-linked-to-a-financial-dispute/
- CNN via KEYT Reportingkeyt.com/news/national-world/cnn-world/2026/09/30/money-the-root-cause-behind-hong-kong-socialite-abby-chois-murder-prosecutors-say/
- The Standard Reportingthestandard.com.hk/news/article/344263/Murder-trial-of-socialite-Abby-Choi-begins-as-prosecution-details-financial-disputes
- South China Morning Post Reportingscmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3368703/hong-kong-model-abby-chois-former-relatives-admit-body-disposal-deny-murder
- NBC News (AP), Feb. 2023 Reportingnbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/hong-kong-models-laws-charged-body-parts-found-rcna72374
- CNN, June 2023 Reportingcnn.com/2023/06/19/asia/hong-kong-model-abby-choi-funeral-intl-hnk
The record · as of Sept. 30, 2026
How we know
Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.
What happens next
- Trial resumes: prosecution opening continues (High Court of Hong Kong, Judge Brian Keith). Re-check burial-plea names (script OPEN ITEM 1)
- Expected verdict window: trial ~45 court days, 'until December' (AFP/HKFP). Check status; verdict = follow-up owed
Updates and corrections
Photos: Wikimedia Commons — LN9267 (CC BY-SA 4.0), PrzemekJaczewski (CC BY 3.0), C J B Scholten (CC BY 2.5), Wilfredor (CC0).
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