Jurors examined a hammer in the High Court on the second day of the trial of three people accused of murdering Abby Choi, after prosecutors said it may have been used in the attack. The prosecution said the hammer was bought on 15 February 2023, later found at a rented village unit in Tai Po, and had DNA on its handle linked to Choi’s former husband. It also said Choi’s head injuries were consistent with an assault involving a hammer.
The judge ruled that the jurors should be allowed to handle the exhibit, saying viewing it through an evidence bag was insufficient. After the judge inspected the hammer while wearing gloves, the jurors also put on gloves; two of them moved it as they examined the weapon described in the prosecution’s opening address.
Prosecutors outlined an alleged sequence of preparations at a village unit in Tai Po near Ting Kok Road. The victim’s former father-in-law visited the unit on 2 February 2023, inspected it and measured its dimensions, while speaking several times with his two sons. On 4 February, he bought a table, chairs and a sofa bed and arranged for them to be delivered to the unit.
The following day, the former father-in-law completed the rental arrangements with an estate agent and collected the keys. The defendants then began obtaining equipment intended to handle Choi’s body. The items described included a chainsaw, rubber boots, a large cooking pot, gloves, cable ties, plastic storage boxes, a meat slicer, a large mixer, a hammer and a suitcase. The cooking pot later held parts of Choi’s body.
The former elder brother-in-law and former husband also arranged vehicles to move items to the unit. On 6 February, the former elder brother-in-law used Choi’s private car because the former father-in-law did not have one, while the former husband obtained another private car through a friend.
All three defendants deny the murder charge. The victim’s former elder brother-in-law and former husband admit preventing lawful burial, while the former father-in-law denies that charge. The prosecution was continuing its opening address in case HCCC 198/2025.