Abby Choi Tin-fung suffered seven blows to the head before death, with blood flowing into her nose and mouth likely to have choked her within about five minutes, the High Court heard Thursday.
The evidence came as Choi's murder trial entered its 31st day, with Kwok Ka-ki, a senior forensic pathologist, continuing to testify.
Kwok told the court that Choi's skull was covered by muscle and had a large hole on the right side, with torn skin nearby exposing the bone. She said seven external head injuries were found, with bleeding in the tissue suggesting they were inflicted before death.
Notably, a 15cm laceration on the right side of the head exposed the skull beneath, which had a depressed fracture.
Choi also had a 1.5cm cut and two cheekbone fractures on her right cheek, with extensive bleeding under the skin and muscle.
The remaining head wounds included a reverse L-shaped facial laceration, a 10cm cut on the lower jaw, and three smaller cuts on the right earlobe, behind the left ear and on the back of the head.
Kwok said each laceration likely came from a single blow, meaning Choi was probably struck about seven times. She added that a blow to the head and face with a hard object will cause intracranial bleeding, and that blood flowing into the nose and mouth could cause asphyxiation and death within about five minutes.
By contrast, she added, post-mortem wounds would show neither bleeding nor inflammation.
Neck cut with serrated tool
The court also heard that Choi had multiple lacerations to the skin on her head, including a V-shaped cut on the left cheek and another on the lower left jaw. Some of the cuts may have been caused by heat or impact, Kwok said.
Kwok also reported an irregular laceration near the right eye and bridge of the nose, along with a neck cut with sharp and serrated edges.
She noted that Choi's brain appeared to be shriveled, soft and friable during examination, probably because it had been cooked.
Alex Kwong Kong-chi, Anthony Kwong Kong-kit and their father, Kwong Kau, are jointly charged with murdering Choi. The trio have denied the charge of murder but have pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of a body.
