Woman learns fate for "suitcase murders" of her children in New Zealand

4 days ago 8

A pistillate successful New Zealand who was convicted of murdering her 2 children and leaving their bodies successful suitcases for years earlier they were discovered volition walk astatine slightest 17 years successful prison, a justice ruled Wednesday.

Justice Geoffrey Venning told Hakyung Lee astatine the High Court proceeding successful the metropolis of Auckland that she would statesman her condemnation arsenic a diligent successful a locked psychiatric facility, nether New Zealand's compulsory intelligence wellness attraction law. Lee indispensable instrumentality to situation erstwhile she is good enough, the justice said.

"You could not header erstwhile [your husband] became earnestly unwell, and possibly you could not carnivore to person the children astir you arsenic a changeless reminder of your erstwhile blessed life, which had been cruelly taken from you," the justice said, according to BBC News.

A assemblage successful September recovered Lee blameworthy of the murders of Minu Jo, 6, and Yuna Jo, 8, rejecting a defence of insanity. Her lawyers connected Wednesday argued for a reduced condemnation due to the fact that of her intelligence illness, saying their lawsuit felt shame for her crimes and had been isolated and threatened successful jail.

However, the justice told Lee that portion she was undoubtedly experiencing terrible slump erstwhile she killed the children successful 2018, her actions were deliberate and calculated, the quality outlet Stuff reported. In New Zealand, a palmy insanity defence requires a execution suspect to beryllium they were incapable of knowing what they were doing oregon that it was wrong.

The children's remains were discovered aft Lee stopped paying rental fees for an Auckland storage unit erstwhile she ran into fiscal difficulties successful 2022. The locker's contents were auctioned online and the buyers recovered the bodies inside.

Lee fled to South Korea aft the killings, wherever she changed her name, earlier being extradited to look trial. She is simply a New Zealand national who was calved successful South Korea and went by the sanction Ji Eun Lee previously.

During the trial, Lee's lawyers conceded that Lee had killed the children by giving them an antidepressant medication, but lawyer Lorraine Smith said the deaths happened aft her lawsuit "descended into madness," section quality outlets reported. Lee had ever been "fragile," said Smith, but her intelligence unwellness became worse aft her husband's death.

"If she wanted to die, wherefore didn't she dice alone? Why did she instrumentality the guiltless children with her?" Lee's parent wrote successful a statement, BBC News reported, citing New Zealand media reports.

During the trial, a palliative attraction counsellor said successful a connection work to the tribunal that Lee had said she "wanted it each to beryllium over" and often mentioned ending some her and her husband's life, the Australian nationalist broadcaster ABC reported.

Those convicted of execution successful New Zealand automatically person a beingness sentence, with judges mounting a minimum play of astatine slightest 10 years earlier the suspect tin use for parole. Lee indispensable service astatine slightest 17 years, Justice Venning ruled.

The children's uncle, Jimmy Sei Wook Jo, was successful court, wherever a lawyer work a connection connected his behalf.

"I ne'er imagined specified a profound calamity would ever befall our family," the connection said, according to section quality outlets. "I consciousness similar I failed to look aft my niece and nephew."

A authoritative work retired a connection by Lee's mother, Choon Ja Lee, who spoke of her devastation astatine learning what had happened to the children.

"It felt similar a symptom that chopped done my bones, oregon arsenic if idiosyncratic was gouging retired my chest," her connection said, according to section quality reports. "I bash not cognize erstwhile this symptom and suffering mightiness heal, but I often deliberation I whitethorn transportation it with maine until the time I die."

After Wednesday's hearing, New Zealand's constabulary acknowledged authorities successful South Korea for their assistance with the investigation.

"Yuna and Minu would person been 16 and 13 today," Det. Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Va'aelua said successful a statement. "Our thoughts are with the wider household contiguous for the tragic nonaccomplishment of these 2 young children."