3rd November 2026 – (Hong Kong) A former cabin-crew friend of yoga instructor Aqua Chow Wai-yin told the High Court today that over lunch on the day she vanished, Ms Chow showed her photographs of a Delvaux handbag and a Hermes silk scarf and said a man named Alex meant to buy them for her.
The murder case continues against Lo Chun-ming, also known as Alex, who was 28 when charged. He denies one count of murdering Ms Chow, then 23, in Hong Kong between 29th and 30th June 2022. Four years ago she was found in a bathtub at The Ritz-Carlton in Tsim Sha Tsui with more than 40 stab wounds. The prosecution today called Lau Wai-yee, who was a flight attendant at the time and said she often practised yoga and ate with Ms Chow, describing her as cheerful and talkative.
Ms Lau said she knew Ms Chow had dated a man called Alex in 2021 and had once seen him when Ms Chow brought him to a YouTube filming site; she had also heard Ms Chow complain about rows with him. On the day in question the two women took a morning yoga class, then lunched at a restaurant in Langham Place, Mong Kok. Ms Chow said she would fly to the United States that evening for further study and seemed excited. During the meal Ms Lau saw her messaging Alex on Telegram. Ms Chow said: “He wants to buy a bag and a scarf for me.” She showed a picture that appeared to be a Delvaux bag taken inside a specialty shop, and another of a Hermes scarf. Ms Lau did not ask for details. Asked about value, she estimated the bag at more than HK$30,000 and the scarf at several thousand dollars.
They left separately by taxi at about 2pm. At about 7pm Ms Lau messaged her to take care on arrival in the United States and sent a voice note; the chat showed a single tick and there was no reply. The next day she learned Ms Chow was missing.
Under cross-examination, Ms Lau said she knew Ms Chow had undergone two terminations of pregnancy. Defence counsel suggested Ms Chow filmed yoga promotion videos hoping strangers would send gifts; Ms Lau disagreed, though she accepted Ms Chow wanted more social-media followers and said the aim was to promote her yoga skill. She recalled the shoot lasting about two hours. The defence also put that the women had planned a yoga studio with HK$100,000 each and later disagreed on the concept; Ms Lau denied that account entirely. The jury continues to hear how a lunchtime chat about luxury gifts sat hours before a hotel discovery that ended Ms Chow’s planned flight.
