The High Court heard agreed evidence on Monday that police found Abby Choi’s head and other human tissue in at least two cooking pots at a unit in a village house, as her mother began giving evidence in the murder trial of three defendants.
The larger pot contained Choi’s head and other tissue, while the smaller contained five pieces of tissue and three bundles of hair. Both pots contained cooked green and red carrots. A bag at the scene held cut but uncooked carrots, with blood staining on its lower exterior.
The prosecution said police attended the unit at 4.48pm on 24 February 2023, collecting physical evidence, DNA samples and fingerprints. CCTV footage recorded the defendants visiting the unit 18 times; all three arrived by car at 3.12pm on 21 February. Agreed forensic evidence found that no commonly encountered drugs or narcotics were detected in Choi’s remains.
The parties accepted the chain of custody for the listed exhibits and that police-collected physical evidence had been preserved without interference or tampering. The chain relating to evidence connected with the former husband’s DNA was not accepted.
Choi’s mother was the first prosecution witness. She told the court that Choi met her former husband at school, that he moved into her family’s home at about 18, and that Choi became pregnant soon afterwards. She said she agreed to help raise the child after he said he loved Choi.
The mother testified that, after Choi had a second child, she paid for a new home for Choi and her former husband and arranged domestic help. She said the former husband’s family had never contributed financially to caring for the two children, including by buying formula. She also said the couple’s relationship broke down in 2015 but that the families stayed in contact and travelled to Hainan together, with Choi’s family paying for accommodation and food.
The three defendants are each charged with murder and preventing lawful burial of Choi’s body. All deny murder. The former brother-in-law and former husband admit the burial-related charge, while the former father-in-law denies it.