New Zealand mother of two children found dead in suitcases is found guilty of murder – after their bodies went undiscovered for FOUR YEARS in a storage unit
A New Zealand mother who was accused of killing her two children and putting their bodies in suitcases left inside a storage unit for four years has been found guilty.
Hakyung Lee, 43, faced the High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tuesday and was found guilty of murdering her two children.
In June 2018, Lee gave her two children, eight-year-old Yuna Jo and six-year-old Minu Jo, an overdose of prescription medicine.
The 43-year-old stuffed their bodies into two suitcases, which she ditched at a storage facility in Auckland.
The children’s remains were found inside luggage at an abandoned storage unit in Auckland in August 2022.
Lee, who changed her name shortly after the deaths of her children, had flown to South Korea after committing the murders.
Lee, who is a New Zealand citizen, had travelled to South Korea and changed her name in 2018, shortly after the children are believed to have been killed.
Despite admitting to killing her children, Lee’s assistant counsel argued she was not guilty by reason of insanity.
Hakyung Lee, 43, faced the High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tuesday and was found guilty of murdering her two children
Counsel told the court that the mother-of-two had spiralled after her husband died from cancer in 2017 and that she believed the ‘morally right’ thing to do was to kill her children.
Following a more than two week trial and about three hours of deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous verdict and Lee was found guilty on both counts of murder.
Justice Geoffrey Venning remanded Lee in custody until her sentencing on November 26 and also ordered a mental health report be prepared before the hearing.
In New Zealand, murder carries a mandatory life sentence, with a minimum of 10 years behind bars before a convicted offender is eligible to apply for parole.
Earlier this month, Justice Venning said the trial would be distressing to Lee and granted her permission to watch the proceedings unfold from another courtroom via videolink alongside an interpreter.
More to come…
