Son chopped up his parents and put heads in the fridge, Hong Kong court hears

A jobless man who allegedly teamed up with a friend to kill his parents and dismember their bodies was after their money, the Court of First Instance heard on Monday.

Prosecutor Michael Arthur told the court that evidence showed Henry Chau made notes about five bank accounts held by his mother Siu Yuet-yee, 63, and his father Chau Wing-ki, 65, days after they were killed and dismembered on March 1, 2013.

The police also found that the son had made a list to inquire about shares held by his parents, while the couple's remains were still stored in the Tai Kok Tsui flat of Tse Chun-kei, Henry Chau's friend and co-accused.

"This evidence is significant with regard to his motive for the murders, because [Henry Chau] later told the police that he had no financial interest in the murders. If that is right it is difficult to understand his interest in his parents' bank accounts and shares," Arthur said.

"In this case there may be more than one motive … The various references to his parents' bank accounts suggest quite strongly that at least one of the motives for the murders may have been one of financial gain. Or to put it bluntly - money," he said.

Henry Chau, 31, and Tse, 37, deny murdering the couple. Henry Chau had pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility but the prosecution did not accept his plea.