A New Zealand mother who murdered her two children and concealed their remains in suitcases stored in a rented locker has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Hakyung Lee, originally from South Korea, was found guilty earlier this year of killing her children, Minu Jo and Yuna Jo, aged six and eight, in a case that has become known as the “suitcase murders”.
High Court judge Geoffrey Venning sentenced Lee to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years, stating that she had killed children who were “particularly vulnerable”. The children died from an overdose of prescription medication in 2018. Their bodies were not discovered until 2022, when an unsuspecting family bought an abandoned storage locker at auction and pried it open.
Lee had changed her name and fled to South Korea before being extradited to face trial in New Zealand. The sentencing hearing on Wednesday heard how the murders had left deep emotional scars on Lee’s family. In a statement read to the court, Lee’s mother, Choon Ja Lee, said: “If she wanted to die why didn’t she die alone?”
The trial centred on whether Lee knew her actions were morally wrong, as she had confessed to the murders. Her lawyers argued she was not guilty by reason of insanity, citing the death of her husband in 2017, which they said sent her into a depressive spiral. A forensic psychiatrist testified for the defence about Lee’s mental state, describing depression, suicidal thoughts, guilt, and a belief that killing her children was the right thing to do.
However, the prosecution argued that Lee knew what she was doing, pointing to her efforts to hide the bodies before fleeing the country. The jury ultimately rejected the insanity defence, leading to the guilty verdict and life sentence.
