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Hello Kitty Murder

Sep 18

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Despite the United States being notorious for mass murders and serial killers, they don't have a monopoly on murders. One particularly gruesome international murder was the 1999 Hello Kitty murder case. We'll provide you with information about the victim, the killers, what happened that led to Fan Man-yee's death, and what happened during the trial.


Who Is The Hello Kitty Murder Victim?


Fan Man-yee worked in a brothel, when she stole the Hong Kong equivalent of $500 from Chan Man-lok. She gave it back, but did not provide the additional $1,250 requested. This led to her kidnapping, torture, and eventually death and beheading. 


Who Is The Hello Kitty Murder Killer?


Chan Man-lok, Leung Wai-lun, Leung Shing-cho, and Lau Ming-fong all participated in the murder, but Fan Man-yee died while they were not in the apartment so it is unknown which most substantially contributed to her death. 


Given Chan Man-lok was the person who originated the plan to kidnap Fan Man-yee and is still behind bars, it is reasonable to assume that him and Leung Wai-lun contributed the most to the assaults and rapes that took place during the month long kidnapping.


What Is The Hello Kitty Murder Case?


The Hello Kitty murder case is a case where three men and a woman kidnapped a brothel worker named Fan Man-yee for stealing the equivalent of $500 USD. Despite returning the money, the kidnappers wanted an additional $1,250 as repayment for the transgression.


When Fan Man-yee was unable to pay it in a timely manner, the men kidnapped her and held her captive for approximately a month. During this time they beat and raped her before finally decapitating her and putting her head in a Hello Kitty doll along with dead insects.


When Did The Hello Kitty Murder Case Happen?


The exact time and date of death are unknown, but it occurred either on April 14th or 15th of 1999. This was nearly a month after the March 17th kidnapping. 


Where Did The Hello Kitty Murder Take Place?


The Hello Kitty murder took place in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. The exact address of the murder was No. 31, 3rd Floor, Block B Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.


Why Is It Called The Hello Kitty Murder?


The Hello Kitty murder received its name because Fan Man-yee’s head was sewn into a Hello Kitty Doll after she was beheaded. The majority of her body was never found.


What Happened With The Hello Kitty Murder Case?


The people involved in the Hello Kitty murder case were Chan Man-lok, Leung Wai-lun, Leung Shing-cho, and Lau Ming-fong. Lau led police to the scene of the head on May 24th, 1999. 


Four days later SWAT raided Chan Man-lok’s house where he lived with his wife and baby. The police suspected the wife was involved originally, but had no evidence to back up the claim.  


Hearing about the arrest, Leung Wai-lun fled from the city on the island of Macau to China where he evaded capture for over six months. He was finally captured on Valentines Day in 2000. Three days later he was returned to the city to await trial. 


Lau was offered immunity to testify, which she accepted. Despite testimony from Lau, Chan’s wife and Fan’s relatives, the jury was not able to establish whether the death was from a drug overdose or the beatings, but they were still able to convict Chan Man-lok, Leung Wai-lun, and Leung Shing-cho of manslaughter with a 6-3 vote.


The three men were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years. Leung Shing-cho was able to get an appeal in 2004 that reduced his sentence to 18 years which ended in April 2014. In August 2022, he was sentenced to another year for sexually assaulting a 10-year old girl.


Chan lost his appeal in 2017 and Leung Wai-lun is still in prison with him.


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