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The Hello Kitty Murder: What Happened To The Killers, And The Shocking Aftermath 25 Years Later

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The Hello Kitty Murder case remains one of Hong Kong's most gruesome and sensational true crime stories, even a quarter-century after the horrific events of 1999. What began as a dispute over a stolen wallet escalated into a prolonged, unimaginable act of torture and dismemberment, forever linking a beloved children's character to a nightmare scenario. The case shocked the world not only for its savagery but also for the young age and apparent lack of remorse of the perpetrators, leading to a rare sentence of indefinite detention. As of late 2025, the case continues to generate discussion, particularly concerning the fate of the three convicted men. While two remain locked away on indefinite terms, the third killer was released and, in a chilling development, re-offended, confirming public fears about the danger they posed to society. This article explores the biography of the victim, the sickening details of the crime, and the surprising, up-to-date status of the men responsible.

The Victim and The Perpetrators: A Complete Profile

The Hello Kitty Murder involved four principal figures: the victim, Fan Man-yee, and the three men convicted of her death. Their backgrounds offer a stark glimpse into the darker side of Hong Kong's late 1990s underworld.

Victim: Fan Man-yee (樊敏儀)

  • Age at Death: 23 years old.
  • Occupation: Nightclub hostess (KTV hostess) in Hong Kong.
  • Background: Fan Man-yee had a difficult life, having lived in an orphanage until the age of 15. She was a young mother, trying to support her son.
  • Motive for Kidnapping: She allegedly stole the wallet of one of the perpetrators, Chan Man-lok, which contained approximately HK$4,000 (about US$515).

Perpetrators: The Three Killers

The three men were tried and convicted of manslaughter and unlawful detention, though two were later sentenced to indefinite detention due to the extreme brutality of the crime.

  • Chan Man-lok (陳文樂)
    • Age in 1999: Approximately 34.
    • Status: Serving an indefinite detention sentence (discretionary life imprisonment).
    • Role: Considered the leader of the group, and the person whose stolen wallet initiated the conflict.
  • Leung Wai-lun (梁偉倫)
    • Age in 1999: Approximately 21.
    • Status: Serving an indefinite detention sentence (discretionary life imprisonment).
    • Role: A key participant in the torture and subsequent dismemberment.
  • Leung Shing-cho (梁勝祖)
    • Age in 1999: Approximately 25.
    • Status: Released after his sentence was commuted. He re-offended in 2014.
    • Role: Involved in the torture and disposal of the remains.

The Unspeakable Crime: Abduction, Torture, and the Tsim Sha Tsui Flat

The catalyst for the murder was a small debt. Fan Man-yee had stolen money from Chan Man-lok, a customer at her KTV establishment, to pay off her own financial troubles. In March 1999, she was abducted by the three men and taken to a cramped apartment on the third floor of Block B at 31 Granville Road in the bustling Tsim Sha Tsui district. The next month was a period of sustained, horrific cruelty. Fan Man-yee was subjected to continuous, unimaginable torture. The men, fueled by drugs and a sadistic desire for revenge, used various makeshift weapons and techniques to inflict pain. They reportedly forced her to consume human waste and beat her relentlessly with metal bars and other objects. The apartment became a chamber of horrors, with the sounds of her suffering allegedly masked by loud music. Fan Man-yee died sometime in mid-April 1999, likely from a combination of the sustained abuse, shock, and organ failure. Following her death, the perpetrators dismembered her body in an attempt to dispose of the evidence. The most shocking detail that gave the case its infamous name was the discovery: her head was boiled, and the remains—including the skull—were stuffed inside a large, brightly coloured Hello Kitty mermaid doll.

The Aftermath and The Indefinite Sentences

The case only came to light when a 13-year-old girl, who had been present during some of the torture and was later coerced into helping dispose of the remains, confessed to social workers. Police raided the Granville Road apartment, finding the gruesome evidence, including the doll, confirming the shocking details of the crime. The trial was a media sensation, with the brutality of the acts leading to widespread public calls for harsh punishment. The men were convicted of manslaughter, as the exact moment and cause of death could not be definitively proven to be a direct intention to murder, but the judge deemed the case so "merciless" that it warranted a severe response.

The Status of the Perpetrators (2025 Update)

The three men were initially sentenced to indefinite detention (also known as detention "at Her Majesty's pleasure" in the pre-handover legal framework), meaning they could only be released if the Chief Executive of Hong Kong deemed them no longer a danger to society, based on a periodic review.

  • Chan Man-lok and Leung Wai-lun: Both remain in prison, serving their indefinite sentences as of 2025. Their detention is periodically reviewed, but they have not been deemed fit for release.
  • The Shocking Case of Leung Shing-cho: In 2003, Leung Shing-cho successfully had his indefinite sentence reviewed and commuted to a fixed term of 18 years. Given his time served and the reduced sentence, he was eventually released on parole.

The 2014 Re-offense: Public Fears Confirmed

The most significant and relevant update to the Hello Kitty Murder case occurred years after the initial trial, confirming the public's worst fears about the risk of releasing the convicted men. In 2014, Leung Shing-cho, the only perpetrator whose sentence was commuted, was arrested and subsequently sentenced to 12 months in jail for indecently assaulting a 10-year-old girl. This re-offense, coming years after his release, was a devastating blow to the Hong Kong justice system and reignited fierce debate over the effectiveness of the indefinite detention review process. Critics argued that the nature of his re-offense—a sexual crime against a child—demonstrated a fundamental failure in rehabilitation and the inherent danger he continued to pose to the community. The apartment building where the murder took place, 31 Granville Road, was eventually demolished in 2012 and rebuilt into a hotel, the Soravit on Granville, in 2016. Despite the physical erasure of the murder scene, the case of Fan Man-yee and the subsequent release and re-offense of one of her killers ensures that the chilling legacy of the Hello Kitty Murder continues to haunt Hong Kong's true crime history.
hello kitty murder
hello kitty murder

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