Hong Kong university professor admits killing wife but denies murdering her
- Police found body of Chan Wai-man in Cheung Kie-chung’s office, with electrical wire tied in a knot around her neck
- He initially sought to plead guilty to lesser charge of manslaughter – by reason of provocation or diminished responsibility, but offer rejected
A professor at Hong Kong’s leading university has admitted to killing his wife, whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase in his office in 2018, but denied murdering her.
Police also found an IOU note claiming Associate Professor Cheung Kie-chung owed Chan Wai-man HK$6 million (US$773,700) in the couple’s bedroom at the dormitory where he served as warden at the University of Hong Kong.
Cheung initially sought to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter – by reason of provocation or diminished responsibility, suggesting he was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the attack – but the offer was rejected.
Opening the trial on Monday, prosecutors said the 56-year-old associate professor with the faculty of engineering killed Chan, 53, by strangling her with two electrical wires at their residence, Room 1601 of Wei Lun Hall, on or about August 17, 2018.
The wires, which were tangled up with her hair and bra, were tied in a knot on the left side of her neck, according to Jonathan Man Tak-ho, senior assistant director of public prosecutions. The cause of death was “pressure on the neck”.