According to the BBC, after a trial lasting several weeks, the court in Auckland (New Zealand) found that although Lee's mental state influenced her actions, her actions were premeditated when she killed her children. The woman was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, and she will be eligible for parole only after 17 years.
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What was the mother's sentence for murdering her children?
What year did Hakyung Lee's husband die?
Where were the children's bodies found?
What were the reasons behind Hakyung Lee's actions?
Judge Geoffrey Venning emphasized that the defendant's mental health played a role in the crime, but did not excuse her actions. During her trial, Lee claimed that she was insane at the time of the murder.
She killed her children and hid them in suitcases. She heard the verdict
According to the case files, Lee decided to take a desperate step in 2018 after the death of her husband, Ian Jo, who was suffering from cancer. According to prosecutors, the woman could not bear the burden of single parenthood, so she decided to commit suicide and kill the children using sleeping pills administered in the juice. However, as it turned out, she administered the dose incorrectly and only lost consciousness, while Yuna and Minu died.
The woman decided to hide the children's bodies in suitcases and get rid of them. She later changed her name and left New Zealand. The children's remains were only found in 2022, when the suitcases were auctioned by a warehouse in Auckland and bought by a couple. The investigation led police to South Korea, where Lee was hiding.
The case shocked New Zealand and sparked a wide discussion about mental health and parental responsibility. According to a pre-sentence psychiatric evaluation, Lee was likely suffering from depression at the time of the crimes due to mourning the loss of her husband. Judge Venning ordered that Lee be treated as a “special patient” while in prison, taking into account her mental state.
