A New Zealand woman has been handed a life sentence for the brutal murders of her two young children, Yuna and Minu Jo. The 45-year-old Hakyung Lee was found guilty in September of the heinous killings, which occurred in 2018 just months after her husband's death.
Lee claimed that she was insane at the time of the killings, citing a mental health deterioration following the loss of her husband Ian Jo, who had died of cancer the previous year. Her defence lawyers argued that Lee's mental state deteriorated further, leading her to believe it would be best for the rest of her family to die together.
Prosecutors countered that Lee's actions were calculated and "selfish", with a clear motive to end her life and those of her children. The court heard how Lee had changed her name and left New Zealand after the killings, eventually being arrested in South Korea and extradited back to face justice.
The victims' families have spoken out about the devastating impact of Lee's actions, with their mother Choon Ja Lee expressing regret at not taking her daughter to a counsellor following Ian Jo's death. Yuna's brother Jimmy described his family's tragedy as an "ongoing sentence" from which he can never be paroled.
In sentencing Lee to life in prison, High Court judge Geoffrey Venning acknowledged that she was suffering from an "atypical depression" and prolonged grief reaction at the time of the murders. The judge ruled that Lee should be treated as a "special patient" during her imprisonment due to her mental state.
The case has sent shockwaves through New Zealand, with many expressing outrage and sadness at the brutal nature of the killings.
Lee claimed that she was insane at the time of the killings, citing a mental health deterioration following the loss of her husband Ian Jo, who had died of cancer the previous year. Her defence lawyers argued that Lee's mental state deteriorated further, leading her to believe it would be best for the rest of her family to die together.
Prosecutors countered that Lee's actions were calculated and "selfish", with a clear motive to end her life and those of her children. The court heard how Lee had changed her name and left New Zealand after the killings, eventually being arrested in South Korea and extradited back to face justice.
The victims' families have spoken out about the devastating impact of Lee's actions, with their mother Choon Ja Lee expressing regret at not taking her daughter to a counsellor following Ian Jo's death. Yuna's brother Jimmy described his family's tragedy as an "ongoing sentence" from which he can never be paroled.
In sentencing Lee to life in prison, High Court judge Geoffrey Venning acknowledged that she was suffering from an "atypical depression" and prolonged grief reaction at the time of the murders. The judge ruled that Lee should be treated as a "special patient" during her imprisonment due to her mental state.
The case has sent shockwaves through New Zealand, with many expressing outrage and sadness at the brutal nature of the killings.
this is such a sad story... i cant even imagine what the fams went thru 
yuna & minu jo were just 2 little kids who deserved to live their lives without being brutally taken away by their own mom 
and jimmy's words are just heartbreaking "ongoing sentence" 
can u even imagine living with that kind of pain forever? 
still glad justice was served tho 
like i was following it since the beginning and the judge's decision to label her a "special patient" is both heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time 
. on one hand, you feel bad for her because she was going through some major grief and mental health struggles after losing her husband. but on the other hand, taking out your own kids? that's just not forgiveable 
. i'm so glad justice was served though and now those poor victims' families can start to heal 
yuna and minu jo were just little kids, what did they ever do to deserve this? 
...anyway, i hope justice is served and the victims' fam gets some closure 
I'm really saddened by this whole thing but also think we have to acknowledge that Lee's actions were just horrific. 
I mean, I get that we need to treat people with compassion, but at the same time, justice has to be served. It's just not easy to balance those two things, you know? 
. I do think it's worth noting that she was found guilty, which suggests to me that there were some clear signs of her deteriorating mental state back then. It's interesting that the judge acknowledged that too, but also said she should be treated as a "special patient". Hope she gets the help she needs behind bars 
.