Mother of children discovered in New Zealand suitcases found guilty of murder

A New Zealand mother was found guilty on Tuesday of killing her two children and stashing their bodies in suitcases.

The case of Hakyung Lee drew international headlines after the remains of her two young children were discovered inside luggage bought at a storage unit auction in the city of Auckland in August 2022.

The accused, a New Zealand citizen originally from South Korea, was extradited from her home country following a police investigation that identified her as the mother of the dead children.

The children, Yuna Jo and Minu Jo, were aged eight and six at the time of their deaths.

Authorities believe they had been dead for three to four years before their bodies were found.

Lee’s lawyers had argued she was not guilty by reason of insanity and that the death of her husband in 2017 sent her into a depressive spiral.