In New Zealand, a disturbing murder case reached its conclusion when 44-year-old Hakyung Lee was convicted of killing her two children and concealing their bodies inside suitcases. The Auckland High Court delivered the guilty verdict on Tuesday after nearly two weeks of proceedings.
Lee had denied the charges, with her defense team maintaining that she was mentally unwell at the time of the crime, which occurred not long after her husband’s death from cancer. Prosecutors, however, contended that her actions were deliberate and planned.
The children’s remains came to light in 2022, when an Auckland family unknowingly purchased a storage unit at auction that contained the hidden suitcases.
Authorities believe the remains had been kept hidden for years before discovery.
In September 2022, Lee was detained in Ulsan, South Korea, and later transferred to New Zealand to face trial.
Court proceedings revealed that the children’s bodies bore no visible injuries, though evidence confirmed their deaths were intentional. A forensic expert testified that the cause was homicide through unspecified methods, with traces of the antidepressant Nortriptyline detected. Prosecutors noted that Lee had collected a prescription for this drug in August 2017, shortly after her husband, Ian Jo, was diagnosed with cancer.
The defense argued that Lee’s mental stability collapsed following her husband’s passing, leaving her convinced that ending all their lives was the only option. She attempted to poison both herself and her children, but miscalculated the dosage—surviving while her children did not. Her lawyer acknowledged she caused their deaths but insisted she was legally insane at the time, and therefore not guilty of murder.
Prosecutors countered that her actions after the deaths—concealing the bodies, adopting a new identity, and relocating to South Korea, proved she was thinking clearly. They described the killings as a selfish choice to escape the hardship of raising her children alone.
When the jury announced its decision, after roughly three hours of deliberation, Lee kept her head bowed and showed no emotion. Sentencing is scheduled for November, with a potential life term as the maximum penalty.
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