Khaberni - The Auckland High Court in New Zealand handed down a life imprisonment sentence to Hakyeong Lee, aged 44, after her conviction for murdering her children and hiding their bodies inside a suitcase for four years.
Details of the crime and discovery of the bodies
The children, Yuna Jo aged 8, and Mino Jo aged 6, were killed in 2018, but the bodies were not discovered until August 2022, when the contents of a storage unit were sold at an online auction after Lee stopped paying the rent.
When the buyers received the suitcase, they discovered the bodies, with the children wrapped in several layers of plastic in their full clothing.
The medical examination could not precisely determine the cause of death due to four years having passed since the incident, but the examination confirmed death resulted from deliberate assault, including the impact of the antidepressant nortriptyline.
Lee's life after the crime
Lee changed her name from Ji Yoon (Jasmine) Lee, and traveled to South Korea immediately after the incident, cutting off contact with friends and family for years, according to the "Metro" newspaper.
Her situation was revealed in a hospital in 2022 after receiving mental health treatment, and when her mother was asked about her children, she coldly replied: "I have no children."
Defense and verdict
Her lawyer argued temporary insanity, suggesting that the death of her husband in 2017 from cancer led her to believe it was best for everyone to die together. However, the prosecution stated that Lee’s use of the antidepressant on her children was a selfish act to lessen the burden of responsibility, not due to temporary insanity or a justified belief.
Prosecutor Natalie Walker stated in court: "Lee was fully aware of her actions, and she premeditated the killing of Mino and Yuna, and the correct verdict is a conviction for murder."
Future legal proceedings
The court explained that Lee would remain in prison for life, with a later review for the possibility of parole after a long period of the sentence, according to New Zealand laws.
The authorities also confirmed that they would review storage and rental laws to ensure such cases are not repeated, especially regarding unsupervised storage units.
