A mother accused of killing her two children and hiding their bodies in suitcases has been found guilty by a jury at the Auckland High Court. The case, known as New Zealand's 'suitcase murders', shocked the nation when the bodies were discovered in August 2022.
Hakyung Lee, 45, a New Zealand citizen originally from South Korea, was convicted of murdering her daughter Yuna Jo, 8, and son Minu Jo, 6. Their remains were found inside suitcases purchased at a storage unit auction in Auckland. Authorities believe the children had been dead for three to four years.
Lee represented herself during the three-week trial but did not speak or answer questions. She sat between a translator and a security guard, with her head bowed and hair obscuring her face. She admitted giving the children the antidepressant nortriptyline, placing their bodies in luggage, and storing them in the unit, but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, citing a depressive episode after her husband died of cancer in 2017.
The jury deliberated for only two hours before returning a guilty verdict. Crown prosecutor Natalie Walker argued Lee's actions were calculated to 'free herself from the burden of parenting alone', noting she changed her name and moved to South Korea after the killings. Standby counsel Chris Wilkinson-Smith urged a not guilty verdict, stating Lee was 'a normal mother' whose mental state led her to do something she would never contemplate.
Lee faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a non-parole period of at least ten years under New Zealand law. Sentencing is yet to be scheduled.
