Ex-husband, in-laws accused of murdering Hong Kong model Abby Choi appear in court

Asia Police discovered parts of 28-year-old Abby Choi's dismembered body at a house in suburban Hong Kong in 2023. File photo of Abby Choi taken on Feb 11, 2023, in Hong Kong. (Photo: AP) HONG KONG: The ex-husband and in-laws of Hong Kong model and influencer Abby Choi accused of murdering her appeared before court on Wednesday (Sep 30), in a gruesome case that has sent shockwaves through the city.Police discovered parts of 28-year-old Choi's dismembered body at a house in suburban Hong Kong in 2023.An influencer with over 140,000 followers on Instagram, Choi had shared photos of her attending Paris Fashion Week just days before her death.Her death was widely reported in the city, where violent crime is rare. Police load a refrigerator that was suspected of to have been used to keep the body parts of 28-year-old model Abby Choi, onto a truck in Hong Kong, Feb 25, 2023 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. (Image: TVB/Handout via Reuters) Alex Kwong, his father Kwong Kau and brother Anthony Kwong pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, judge Brian Keith told a nine-person jury on Wednesday.The three defendants, who face life in prison if found guilty, appeared calm as they attended the hearing.They are also accused of preventing the lawful burial of a body, with two of them, Alex and Anthony Kwong, pleading guilty. Choi had two children with Alex Kwong, but later divorced him and married Chris Tam, with whom she had two more children.Prosecutors told the court on Wednesday that Choi and her ex-husband's family had financial disputes over a luxury property she had bought for them.The trial, which adjourned until Friday, is expected to last until December. A police stands guard outside a village house where part of Abby Choi's body was found in Hong Kong in this photo taken on Feb 27, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Tyrone Siu)