Ask Onix
New Zealand mother sentenced to life for killing two children in 2018
A 45-year-old woman in New Zealand has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years before parole eligibility for the 2018 murders of her two young children, whose bodies were later found concealed in suitcases.
Court rejects insanity defense
Hakyung Lee was convicted in September of killing eight-year-old Yuna Jo and six-year-old Minu Jo shortly after her husband's death. While acknowledging her mental health struggles, High Court Judge Geoffrey Venning ruled her actions were deliberate. Lee had claimed insanity, arguing her mental state deteriorated after her husband's death from cancer in late 2017.
Defense lawyers described a failed suicide attempt using the antidepressant nortriptyline, which Lee administered to herself and her children in juice. Prosecutors countered, calling the act "selfish" and an attempt to escape single parenthood. After the killings, Lee fled New Zealand, changed her identity, and was later arrested in South Korea in 2022 before extradition.
Discovery of remains in abandoned storage
The children's bodies were found in 2022 by a couple who purchased the contents of an abandoned Auckland storage unit at auction. The gruesome discovery prompted a police investigation that led to Lee's arrest overseas.
Family statements reveal lasting trauma
During sentencing, emotional victim impact statements highlighted the devastation left behind. Lee's mother, Choon Ja Lee, expressed regret for not seeking counseling for her daughter, questioning why Lee "didn't die alone" instead of taking the children. Jimmy Jo, the children's uncle, described the tragedy as an "ongoing sentence" from which he could never escape, noting his late brother's wish for him to protect the children.
One of the children's grandmothers remains unaware of their deaths, according to family testimony.
Psychiatric assessment and sentencing terms
Court records indicate Lee suffered from "atypical depression" and prolonged grief at the time of the murders. Justice Venning ordered her to be treated as a "special patient" in prison due to her mental state, stating she could not cope with her husband's illness or the children's presence as reminders of her past life.
"You could not bear to have the children around you as a constant reminder of your former happy life, which had been cruelly taken from you."
Justice Geoffrey Venning
