Mother killed two children and hid bodies in suitcases | World | News

A New Zealand monster who killed two children and hid their bodies in suitcases has been sentenced to at least 17 years in prison. Hakyung Lee was sentenced to prison for killing his children Minu Jo (6) and Yuna Jo (8).

‘Calculated’ mother will be sentenced to prison for killing her children in 2018 and hiding them in suitcases until they were found in 2022. The children’s remains were only found after Lee failed to pay rent on a storage unit in Auckland due to financial difficulties, and the contents were auctioned online.

On Wednesday (November 25), a judge ruled that Lee should be sentenced to at least 17 years in prison, with his sentence to begin in a secure psychiatric facility under New Zealand’s compulsory mental health treatment law.

Judge Geoffrey Venning told Hakyung Lee during a High Court hearing in Auckland that he should return to prison once he was deemed healthy enough. Lee was found guilty of murder in September after a jury rejected his insanity defense.

On Wednesday, November 25, his legal team argued for a reduced sentence due to mental illness, stating that their client was remorseful for his crimes and that he had been isolated and threatened in prison. But the judge said Lee’s actions were ‘deliberate and calculated’ despite his apparent depression. reports The Mirror.

The court was told Lee killed the children by giving them antidepressant medication. Lawyer Lorraine Smith said Lee’s mental health had deteriorated following her husband’s death.

Following the murders, Lee fled to South Korea and adopted a new identity. Born in South Korea, she is a New Zealand national who formerly went by the name Ji Eun Lee.

The children’s uncle, Jimmy Sei Wook Jo, prepared a statement for the court and said: “I never thought such a profound tragedy would happen to our family.

“I feel like I failed at taking care of my niece and nephew,” she admitted, according to a local news outlet.

Lee’s mother, Choon Ja Lee, also prepared a statement that was read by the prosecutor: “I felt a bone-cutting pain or as if someone was carving out my chest.

“I don’t know when this pain and suffering will heal, but most of the time I think I can carry it with me until I die.”

Det. Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Va’aelua released a statement: “Yuna and Minu would have been 16 and 13 today. Our thoughts are with the wider family for the tragic loss of these two young children today.”

In New Zealand, the crime of murder carries an automatic life sentence, and judges must set a period of at least 10 years before a prisoner can apply for parole. After Wednesday’s hearing, New Zealand police acknowledged South Korean authorities’ assistance in the investigation.