Domestic worker arrested on suspicion of murder after 93-year-old employer found dead

A domestic worker has been arrested on suspicion of murder after her 93-year-old employer was found dead at home, with police saying footage obtained on Monday showed the worker assaulting the woman.

Police said during a press briefing on Monday that the domestic worker sought help downstairs from her employer’s flat in Kai Tak’s Tak Long Estate at around 8.20am on Sunday after finding the elderly woman unresponsive.

Paramedics arrived and attempted to resuscitate the 93-year-old. She was brought to the hospital and declared dead at 9.12am.

Police searched the flat and did not find any signs that an attack had taken place. There were also no obvious injuries on the woman’s body.

But police said they obtained footage in the early hours of Monday that showed the domestic worker assaulting her employer at around 8am on Sunday.

Assistant district commander Terry Wan said that between 8.03am and 8.10am, the worker used her bare hands to hit the elderly woman’s neck, head and face around 20 times while on her bed.

She also stepped on her chest and moved her violently, Wan said.

Police arrested the domestic worker at around 3.50am on Monday. A forensic report showed bruises on the elderly woman’s chest and abdomen, and abrasions on her neck.

Chronic illnesses

According to Wan, the woman lived alone with the domestic worker. Her husband died around 30 years ago, and they did not have children.

He said the woman had chronic illnesses including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. She was also diagnosed with colorectal cancer 17 years ago and had a stroke around two years ago.

“She was on long-term medication and needed to go for check-ups. Because of her health condition, doctors recommended her family members arrange 24-hour care for her,” Wan said in Cantonese.

“[The domestic worker] arrived to take care of the deceased in January 2023,” Wan added.

Wan said police believed the employer and the worker had a bad relationship, and that the worker may have been overworked.

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Hillary Leung is a journalist at Hong Kong Free Press, where she reports on local politics and social issues, and assists with editing. Since joining in late 2021, she has covered the Covid-19 pandemic, political court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial, and challenges faced by minority communities.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hillary completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She worked at TIME Magazine in 2019, where she wrote about Asia and overnight US news before turning her focus to the protests that began that summer. At Coconuts Hong Kong, she covered general news and wrote features, including about a Black Lives Matter march that drew controversy amid the local pro-democracy movement and two sisters who were born to a domestic worker and lived undocumented for 30 years in Hong Kong.