New Zealand Mother Faces Murder Charges as Trial Unfolds

A trial has commenced in Auckland, New Zealand, involving Hakyung Lee, a mother accused of murdering her two children, Yuna Jo and Minu Jo, and concealing their remains in suitcases. The shocking case dates back to 2018, with Lee facing two charges of murder. The trial began on October 16, 2023, at the High Court, where Lee has pleaded not guilty.

The children, aged eight and six at the time of their deaths, were allegedly killed between June 23 and July 27, 2018. Their remains were discovered in August 2022 by a family who purchased the contents of an abandoned storage unit at an auction in Papatoetoe, South Auckland. The storage unit, which included two suitcases, had been sold without the buyers’ knowledge of the grim contents. Authorities later confirmed that the family had no connection to the deaths.

Details Surrounding the Case

Lee, a 44-year-old New Zealand citizen originally from South Korea, stood in the dock at the High Court, refusing to enter a plea when asked. Instead, she shook her head, and a formal not guilty plea was recorded. Justice Geoffrey Venning informed the jury, consisting of six men and six women, that the trial is expected to last four weeks. A significant aspect of the case will likely revolve around whether Lee was legally insane at the time of the alleged murders.

Lee’s arrest occurred in September 2022 in Ulsan, South Korea, following an Interpol red notice. Local authorities described the operation as a “stakeout.” She was extradited to New Zealand two months later. During her arrest, she was shown to the media with a jacket over her head and repeatedly asserted, “I didn’t do it.”

Lee, who previously went by the name Ji Eun Lee, has opted to represent herself during the trial, although two lawyers, Lorraine Smith and Chris Wilkinson-Smith, are available as standby counsel. She initially entered her not guilty plea in 2023, and the case was postponed from its original schedule in 2024 to the current proceedings.

Context and Background

The case is steeped in tragedy, notably with the death of Lee’s husband, who was the father of Yuna and Minu, from cancer in 2017. Following this, Lee left New Zealand for South Korea in 2018, shortly after the timeline in which prosecutors allege the children were killed. Given the intense media interest, Justice Venning emphasized to the jury the importance of basing their verdict solely on the evidence presented during the trial.

The prosecution is expected to present its opening statements on October 17, 2023. As the trial unfolds, the public’s attention remains fixed on the details surrounding this harrowing case.