A murder trial for the ex-husband and two former in-laws of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi has opened, three and a half years after her killing and dismemberment shocked the city.

Hong Kong model and influencer Abby Choi, whose dismembered body was found by police in a Tai Po house on February 24, 2023. Photo: @xxabbyc/Instagram.

Alex Kwong, Choi’s ex-husband, his father Kwong Kau, and his brother Anthony Kwong stand accused of murdering Choi and preventing the lawful burial of a body. They face up to life behind bars if convicted by a jury.

The trio appeared at the High Court on Monday before deputy judge Brian Keith, with the courtroom packed with members of the public hoping to observe the high-profile trial, according to local media reports.

The killing of Choi stunned the city in February 2023 when parts of her body were discovered in a village house in Lung Mei Tsuen, Tai Po, days after she went missing.

Police found her remains in the fridge and soup pots in the house, which was equipped with an electric saw and a meat grinder that had been used to mince human flesh.

The High Court. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Choi, an influencer with over 100,000 followers on Instagram, had appeared on the cover of fashion magazine L’Officiel Monaco and posted about her trip to Dior fashion week in Paris days before her murder.

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Authorities had said that Choi, who was 28 years old, and her ex-husband’s family had financial disputes involving a luxury property.

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Choi divorced Kwong, with whom she had two children, and subsequently married Chris Tam, the son of the founder of the popular chain TamJai Yunnan Mixian. Choi and Tam also had two children together.

The court on Monday ordered media not to report on the proceedings before a jury is sworn in and forbade the disclosure of the identities of Choi’s four children.

The trial is expected to last 45 working days.