A recent psychiatric evaluation indicated that Lee was likely experiencing atypical depression and a prolonged grief reaction at the time of the murders.
Wellington (New Zealand), November 26, 2025-BBN Web Staff– A New Zealand mother, Hakyung Lee, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal killing of her two children, whose bodies were discovered stuffed into suitcases in a storage locker.
Lee, originally from South Korea, was convicted in September of murdering eight-year-old Yuna Jo and six-year-old Minu Jo in a crime that shocked the nation and became known as the “suitcase murders.”
Justice Geoffrey Venning handed down the life sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. However, Lee will be treated as a special patient under the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act.
In delivering the sentence, Justice Venning reviewed Lee’s background and the sequence of events leading to the children’s deaths. He noted that her mental health significantly contributed to her actions.
A recent psychiatric evaluation indicated that Lee was likely experiencing atypical depression and a prolonged grief reaction at the time of the murders.
