A Mother's Unthinkable Crime
A South Korean-born woman has been handed a life imprisonment sentence in New Zealand for the murder of her two young children, whose bodies were discovered inside suitcases in an abandoned storage unit. Hakyung Lee, a 45-year-old New Zealand citizen, was convicted in September after admitting she used anti-depressant medication to kill her six and eight-year-old children back in 2018.
The Grisly Discovery
The tragic case, now infamously known as the 'suitcase murders', came to light in August 2022. The new owners of a storage unit in Auckland made the horrifying discovery while sorting through its contents after purchasing it in an online auction. Lee had stopped paying rent on the unit due to money troubles, leading to its contents being sold off.
Court proceedings revealed that Lee fled to South Korea shortly after committing the murders and even changed her name. She was eventually extradited back to New Zealand in late 2022 to face justice for her crimes.
A Contentious Sentencing
During the sentencing on Wednesday, Lee's defence lawyers argued that she had 'descended into madness' following the death of her husband in 2017. They contended that a life sentence would be unjust given her mental health issues. However, prosecutors countered this, stating there was no evidence Lee was suicidal at the time she killed her children, according to reports from the New Zealand Herald.
Judge Geoffrey Venning ultimately rejected calls for a lesser penalty. While he did approve compulsory treatment at a secure psychiatric facility, he stipulated that Lee must return to prison once deemed mentally fit. The judge told Lee directly: 'You knew your actions were morally wrong... perhaps you could not bear to have your children around you as a constant reminder of your previous happy life.'
Lee was sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum non-parole period of 17 years.
A Family's Lasting Grief
The profound impact of this tragedy was felt deeply in court. Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Va'aelua sombrely noted that 'Yuna and Minu would have been 16 and 13 today.' He added that their thoughts were with the wider family for their tragic loss.
A statement from the children's uncle, Jimmy Sei Wook Jo, was read in court, expressing the family's devastation. 'I never imagined such a profound tragedy would ever befall our family,' the statement said. 'I feel like I failed to look after my niece and nephew.'
