Abby Choi: Sixth suspect arrested in 28-year-old Hong Kong socialite’s murder

Man tried to help Choi’s ex-husband flee Hong Kong in a speedboat, police officials say

Police arrest a 41-year-old suspect in the murder case of Abby Choi that has attracted international attention (Reuters)

The investigation into the shocking murder of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi has led police to arrest a sixth suspect.

Twenty-eight-year-old Choi’s dismembered body was recovered last week, two days after she was reported missing. Her remains were recovered from a refrigerator after police broke into a house in the village of Lung Mei Village in Tai Po, a Hong Kong suburb.

The 41-year-old suspect, surnamed Lam, allegedly tried to help one of the other suspects flee Hong Kong by water. Police said he was trying to help them for a fee of HK$100,000 ($12,738.9).

The local media reported that Mr Lam is an employee of a yacht rental company in Hong Kong. He allegedly tried to help 28-year-old Alex Kwong, Choi’s ex-husband – and a suspect in the murder case – escape Hong Kong in a speedboat on 25 February.

The suspect was arrested in Sheung Wan in central Hong Kong.

Apart from Choi’s ex-husband, his brother Anthony Kwong, 31 and their father Kwong Kau, 65, have been charged with murder.

Her mother-in-law Jenny Li, 63, was charged with preventing the course of justice. The police have also arrested the mistress of Ms Choi’s former father-in-law – identified just by Ng or her nickname Yung Yung by local media – and are investigating if she knew about the case.

The four were denied bail by the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court earlier this week and their case was adjourned to 8 May.

Police discovered a skull, ribs, and hair, believed to be Choi’s remains, from a large stainless steel soup pot inside the house. The body parts were taken for forensic testing to determine if they belonged to Choi.

Police said a property dispute is a possible murder motive for the crime that has attracted international attention.

Police suspect Choi was first attacked inside a van, which has been seized as evidence, before she was taken home in an unconscious state.

“There’s a hole on the right side rear on the skull, so the pathologist believes that that should be the fatal attack on the victim,” the officer said.

The model had financial disputes running into tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars with her ex-husband and his family, police said earlier, adding that “some people” were unhappy with how she handled her financial assets.

Police are still trying to gather evidence at the crime scene.