A mother accused of murdering 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 after the remains were discovered in August 2022.
The bodies of Yuna Jo, eight, and Minu Jo, six, were found inside suitcases bought at a storage unit auction in Auckland. Authorities believe the children had been dead for three to four years before their discovery. Hakyung Lee, 45, a New Zealand citizen originally from South Korea, was extradited from Korea in 2022 after being identified as the mother.
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. She admitted giving the children the antidepressant nortriptyline, placing their bodies in the luggage, and storing them, but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, citing a depressive episode after her husband's death from cancer in 2017.
The jury deliberated for just 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 hid the remains, changed her name, and moved to Korea. Lee now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a non-parole period of at least ten years.
