Abby Choi’s Death Might Have Been Due to Her S$12.5 Million Luxury Flat

By now, you’ve probably heard some details about the grisly murder of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi, which has rocked the media over the past week.

The plot thickens.

The trigger to her murder, a Hong Kong luxury flat, has reportedly been sold for HK$72.8 million (S$12.5 million), according to a property portal.

How Exactly Is This Linked to Her Murder?

Kwong Kau, Ms Choi’s former father-in-law, was her alleged killer and is reported to have masterminded the murder after being displeased with the knowledge that Ms Choi wanted to sell the flat located in the Kadoorie Hill neighbourhood in Ho Man Tin.

On Monday, Ms Choi’s mother, Ms Cheung Yin Fa, filed a writ to forbid Kwong, 65, from selling the 1,820 sq ft apartment that Ms Choi had bought under his name.

According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), Ms Cheung asked the court to rule that Kwong was only a trustee of the 1/F 117 Kadoorie Avenue property and has no right to sell or deal with it.

The writ was filed to declare Ms Choi, 28, as the beneficial owner of the luxury flat built seven years ago.

According to local media reports, the flat was purchased for at least HK$30 million (~S$5.1 million) in 2019. Its cost includes a HK$3 million (~S$520,000) stamp duty fee.

Ms Cheung sought to restrain Kwong from selling, transferring, charging or dealing with the apartment without her prior knowledge.

Although the sales contract for the flat was signed by Kwong, who would, therefore, technically be the legal owner of the property, Ms Choi was the one who purchased it and made the full payment as of October 2019.

She did so to save more than HK$7 million (~S$1.2 million) in stamp duty.

Who Is Abby Choi?

Ms Choi was a socialite and model who appeared in publications such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle. She most recently appeared on the cover of a fashion and lifestyle magazine, L’Officiel Monaco, in January.

The 28-year-old frequently showcased her life on her Instagram account, which now has over 100,000 followers.

Ms Choi married her first husband, Alex Kwong, 28, at the age of 18 and had two children with him, according to her friend Bernard Cheng Hei-tung, who told The Standard.

She reportedly never said a bad word about her former-in-laws even after her divorce and even supported them, arranging for them to live in a luxury apartment and assisting her former brother-in-law in purchasing a home.

Her Gruesome Murder

On Friday, 24 February, Ms Choi’s headless body was found in a village house in Tai Po, a suburb of Hong Kong.

Local police found human tissue in two pots of soup and minced human tissue across the ground of the house. Some parts of her dismembered body were cooked, while others were refrigerated, according to SCMP.

Her head and ribs were later found in one of the two pots of soup days later.

Kwong and his sons, Alex Kwong and Anthony Kwong, 31, were charged with her murder on 27 February.

Seven people have since been linked to Ms Choi’s murder. The seventh suspect, a 29-year-old Hong Kong woman, was reportedly arrested in Shenzhen after being implicated in helping Alex Kwong escape Hong Kong.