Two men have pleaded not guilty to murdering Fuk-Fu Joseph Kwok and Mei Han Chong in Auckland earlier this month.
On November 10, police announced 67-year-old Chong's body was found in Greenhithe. Her husband, Fuk-Fu Joseph Kwok, 66, had been found dead at their Ellerslie home by a family member on November 6.
He had been stabbed several times. She died of blunt force injuries to her head.
Two men, aged 42 and 26, face two murder charges each over the deaths. The younger man is also charged with unlawfully taking a vehicle belonging to Kwok. He had an interpreter in court today.
Kwok and Chong's son was in the High Court at Auckland to hear proceedings.
The pair's lawyers entered not guilty pleas on behalf of their clients this morning.
Justice Matthew Downs granted the continuation of interim name suppression, pending a hearing early next year.
The trial is set to begin in April 2025.
The case so far
"It is beyond comprehension for the family as to how something like this could happen to Mei and Joseph," Detective Inspector Scott Beard has said, describing the pair as "a loving couple whose careers involved helping other people".
A homicide investigation was opened after Kwok, 66, was found dead by a family member at their Ellerslie property on the evening of Monday, November 6. He was a theatre nurse. His wife couldn't be found and their car was missing.
Sunday, the day before he was found, was Kwok's birthday – and also the day police believe he was killed.
The nature of Kwok's injuries suggested more than one person may have been involved, Beard has said, describing Kwok's multiple stab wounds as "violent" and "brutal".
After Kwok was found, the pair's son – who is in his 30s – told police he was "devastated", adding that Chong's disappearance is "totally out of character". Police said they had "grave concerns for her safety and welfare" and Beard said "the circumstances" inside the house suggested Chong hadn't left of her own accord.
An appeal was made for information on the whereabouts of the family's blue Kia Rio.
On Friday, November 10, police announced Chong had been found dead in Greenhithe – about 30kms away from the pair's home.
The couple's missing Kia car was discovered near an unrelated property on Hall Rd in Glenfield with different number plates on it.
The same day, police announced that the 42-year-old Glenfield man had been arrested in Hamilton the night before, while the 26-year-old man was arrested at an address in Glenfield on that evening evening.
Beard has said police are not looking for anyone else as part of their investigation.
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