The first defendant in Abby Choi’s murder trial began giving evidence for the defence at the High Court on 9 November, after the prosecution had completed its case.
The three men are charged with murdering Choi in Hong Kong on 21 February 2023 and preventing the lawful burial of her body between 21 and 23 February. They deny murder and have admitted the burial-prevention charge. The testifying defendant is Choi’s former brother-in-law.
He testified that he had studied in the United States and planned to stay there. His mother called around February or March 2015, saying something serious had happened at home and asking him to return. He came back to Hong Kong that September. Afterward, she told him his younger brother was involved in a theft case and that the family needed help, including with the children.
The defendant testified that his younger brother and Choi had been a couple since they were about 14. They had a son and married in 2013, he said; he returned from the United States to attend the wedding. He also described his brother and Choi investing together in development projects in mainland China. At times, he said, he collected money from a money changer and passed it to Choi.
He said his brother and Choi shared the children’s living expenses, and that his brother made money trading luxury watches. After his brother left Hong Kong, the defendant testified, he spent more time helping care for the children. He described his relationship with Choi as like that of siblings.
The defendant said he, Choi and one of her friends began meeting regularly from 2018, sharing a social circle and eating out together five days a week.