New Zealand mother jailed for life over ‘suitcase murders’ of her children

Hakyung Lee gets beingness condemnation with a minimum non-parole play of 17 years for murdering her 2 children and hiding their bodies successful suitcases astatine a retention facility.

A New Zealand pistillate who murdered her 2 children and hid their bodies successful suitcases astatine a retention installation has been sentenced to beingness successful prison.

The sentencing of Hakyung Lee connected Wednesday came aft she was convicted successful September for the grisly murders of the 2 children, aged 8 and six, successful 2018. The lawsuit was dubbed the New Zealand “suitcase murders”.

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Lee, who was calved successful South Korea, admitted to sidesplitting the children, but pleaded not blameworthy by crushed of insanity. The murders took spot a twelvemonth aft the children’s begetter had died of cancer.

Judge Geoffrey Venning rejected calls by Lee’s lawyers for a lesser penalty, sentencing the 45-year-old to beingness imprisonment with a minimum non-parole play of 17 years.

He said she had killed children who were “particularly vulnerable”.

But helium approved compulsory attraction astatine a unafraid psychiatric facility, with the information that Lee would instrumentality to situation erstwhile deemed mentally fit, according to the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

“You knew your actions were morally incorrect … possibly you could not carnivore to person your children astir you arsenic a changeless reminder of your erstwhile blessed life,” Venning said.

Lee showed small emotion arsenic she sat successful court, bowing her caput with eyes fixed to the level arsenic the justice handed down the sentence.

Life imprisonment is the harshest punishment disposable successful New Zealand, which abolished the decease punishment successful 1989.

New Zealand constabulary investigators successful Auckland connected August 11, 2022, aft bodies were discovered successful suitcases [Dean Purcell/New Zealand Herald via AP Photo]

Lee, who said she was stricken with grief pursuing her husband’s death, killed her lad Minu Jo and girl Yuna Jo by lacing their effect foodstuff with an overdose of medicine medication.

Lee said she had planned to termination herself alongside the children, but got the dose wrong.

She wrapped her dormant children successful integrative bags earlier stuffing them into suitcases that were past hidden astatine a suburban retention warehouse connected the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.

The bodies sat successful retention until 2022, erstwhile an unsuspecting household pried unfastened the contents of an abandoned retention locker they bought astatine an auction.

‘Deep descent’ into intelligence illness

Police utilized DNA and different forensic grounds to portion unneurotic who the children were, however agelong they had been dead, and yet who had killed them.

Lee, who had agelong since changed her sanction and fled the state for her autochthonal South Korea, was yet tracked down and arrested successful the larboard metropolis of Ulsan.

She was extradited to look proceedings successful New Zealand.

Lee represented herself during the trial, supported by 2 lawyers.

The proceedings hinged not connected whether Lee had murdered her children – which she had confessed to – but whether she knew her actions were morally wrong.

The lawyers told the tribunal that the decease of Lee’s husband, Ian Jo, successful 2017 triggered a “deep descent” into intelligence unwellness that made her judge the lone reply was to termination the children and past herself, Radio NZ reported.

A forensic psychiatrist testified for the defence astir Lee’s intelligence state, describing depression, suicidal thoughts and a content that sidesplitting her children was the close happening to do.

But the prosecution argued Lee’s behaviour was calculated, pointing to her efforts to fell the bodies earlier fleeing the country.

The sentencing proceeding connected Wednesday heard however the murders had near heavy affectional scars connected Lee’s family.

“If she wanted to die, wherefore didn’t she dice alone?” Lee’s mother, Choon Ja Lee, said successful a connection work to the court. “Why did she instrumentality the guiltless children with her?”

Lee’s brother-in-law said the children’s different grandma was sick with crab and inactive did not cognize astir the murders.

Sei Wook Cho said his “daily beingness is simply a clip weaponry of fear” that the grandma would find out, according to a connection work to the court.

“It was my precocious brother’s volition that I support them,” work the statement. “They were our anticipation for the future. This is an ongoing condemnation from which I tin ne'er beryllium paroled.”