Forensic pathologist details 42 wounds in yoga instructor murder trial
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
At Hong Kong’s High Court, a forensic pathologist testified that 23-year-old yoga instructor Chow Wai-yin died after sustaining 42 to 43 sharp-force injuries to her face, neck, torso and limbs, causing massive blood loss. The court heard that one wound to her lower left back was likely inflicted from behind in an upward direction, while many other injuries were concentrated on her left side and back. Based on the injury pattern, the pathologist said Chow was likely curled up in a fetal-like, passive defensive posture during part of the attack, and that the stabbing pattern was not broad, chaotic or aimless. Former boyfriend Lo Chun-ming, identified in court as Alex Lo, denies one count of murder over Chow’s death in a room at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, between June 29 and June 30, 2022.
Key Points
- Forensic pathologist Ying Ho-wan told the court he first examined Chow’s body in the hotel room on July 1, 2022.
- He found the body semi-prone with rigor mortis present, and estimated death had occurred 24 to 36 hours earlier.
- A post-mortem on July 5 recorded 42 to 43 sharp-force injuries across the face, neck, trunk and limbs.
- The injuries were mainly on the left side and back; one lower-back wound was likely inflicted from behind while she was standing.
- Chief Inspector Tam Cheuk-ming said officers found bloodstains, bloodied bedding and the victim in a half-filled bathtub with blood-tinged water
Why It Matters
The forensic evidence goes directly to how prosecutors and jurors may assess the sequence, intensity and intent of the attack in a murder trial that has drawn public attention in Hong Kong. Testimony about body position, wound distribution and the scene inside the hotel room may become central in testing competing accounts of what happened in the final hours before Chow’s death.