A New Zealand jury convicted Hakyung Lee of murdering her two children and hiding their bodies in suitcases for more than four years. The 45-year-old was found guilty at Auckland High Court on Tuesday after jurors deliberated for approximately three hours.
Lee killed eight-year-old Yuna Jo and six-year-old Minu Jo in June 2018. According to the Guardian and BBC, the children died from an overdose of nortriptyline, an antidepressant medication.
The children's remains were discovered inside luggage at an abandoned Auckland storage unit in August 2022. The bodies were found after Lee stopped paying rental fees due to financial difficulties, and the locker's contents were auctioned online.
International manhunt and extradition
Lee fled to South Korea shortly after the killings and changed her name from Ji Eun Lee. As a New Zealand citizen born in South Korea, she was able to enter the country and establish a new identity.
She was extradited from South Korea in November 2022 to face trial. The case became known as New Zealand's "suitcase murders" according to reports from the Guardian and BBC.
Defence strategy rejected
Lee's lawyers argued she was legally insane at the time of the murders, but the jury rejected this defence. The killings occurred seven months after Lee's husband died from cancer.
According to the BBC, Lee had picked up an antidepressant prescription in August 2017, five months after her husband's cancer diagnosis. The prosecution successfully convinced jurors that Lee was not suffering from mental illness that would excuse her actions.
Sentencing and legal consequences
Justice Geoffrey Venning ordered Lee to remain in custody until sentencing on November 26. Murder carries a mandatory life sentence in New Zealand, with judges required to set a minimum prison term of at least 10 years before parole eligibility.
During Tuesday's verdict, Lee stood with her head bowed and her hair covering her face. Venning had previously granted her permission to watch proceedings from another room due to the distressing nature of the trial.
Sources used: "Independent", "Daily Mail", "Guardian", "BBC"
Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
