A New Zealand mother convicted of killing her two young children and hiding their bodies in suitcases has been sentenced to life in prison, bringing a grim conclusion to a case that horrified the country. Hakyung Lee, 43, originally from South Korea but a New Zealand citizen, received a life term with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years, according to ABC AU.
High Court judge Geoffrey Venning issued the sentence on Tuesday, Nov. 25, noting that Lee killed her children at a time when they were “particularly vulnerable,” The Guardian reported. The victims, six-year-old Minu Jo and eight-year-old Yuna Jo, were killed in 2018.
Their bodies were not discovered until four years later, in a case widely referred to as “the suitcase murders.” Investigators determined that Lee poisoned the children with an overdose of nortriptyline, a prescription medication, mixed into orange juice.
After the killings, Lee hid the children’s bodies in suitcases and stored them in a rental locker. She then fled New Zealand, traveling to South Korea and changing her name. The truth came to light only when a family unknowingly purchased the abandoned storage unit at an auction and found the suitcases inside. Lee was later extradited back to New Zealand in 2022 to stand trial.
The murders took place in the family’s home in Auckland’s Papatoetoe neighborhood, according to the New Zealand Herald. Throughout the trial, defense lawyers Lorraine Smith and Chris Wilkinson-Smith argued that the deaths were part of a failed murder-suicide driven by Lee’s mental distress following the death of her husband, Ian Jo, who died of esophageal cancer the year before. They noted that Lee had expressed suicidal thoughts to family members.
Prosecutors, however, pointed to evidence suggesting Lee had planned an escape rather than intending to take her own life. In the days before the killings, she spent $900 at a hair salon, purchased a lottery ticket, and booked a business class flight to South Korea.
Crown prosecutor Natalie Walker argued that Lee acted to free herself from the challenges of raising two children alone, saying in court, “The Crown suggests that when she gave her two young children nortriptyline, it was a selfish act to free herself from the burden of parenting alone.”
Lee’s mother, Choon Ja Lee, expressed her anguish in a statement read in court, asking, “If she wanted to die, why didn’t she die alone? Why did she take the innocent children with her?” The sentencing brings closure to the legal process, but the case continues to leave deep emotional wounds for the family and community.
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