New Zealand mother who killed her 2 children, aged 8 & 6, & left bodies in suitcases for 4 years, sentenced to life imprisonment

A New Zealand mother who murdered her two young children and concealed their bodies in suitcases for years has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years, reported the New Zealand Herald.

Hakyung “Jasmine” Lee, 45, was found guilty in September 2025 of murdering her eight-year-old daughter Yuna Jo and six-year-old son Minu Jo inside the family’s home in June 2018.

She then placed their bodies in suitcases and left them inside an Auckland storage unit, where they remained undiscovered until 2022.

A couple won an auction for the contents of Lee’s abandoned storage unit and subsequently found the children's remains.

Gave children juice mixed with medication

During the trial, Lee’s defence argued she had suffered a profound mental collapse following the death of her husband, Ian Jo, of cancer in November 2017.

They said Lee had initially planned to kill her children and then commit suicide.

Her lawyers claimed she gave her children juice mixed with antidepressants, misjudged the dosage, and later woke up to find them dead, reported BBC.

However, prosecutors said there was no evidence Lee had intended to take her own life.

They argued the killings were “a selfish act to free herself from the burden of parenting alone”, noting that Lee had begun steps to start a new life overseas.

This included buying a Lotto ticket, spending nearly NZ$900 (S$675) at a hair salon, and purchasing a business-class flight to South Korea shortly after the murders.

The jury rejected her insanity defence.

Mental health considerations

A psychiatric report before sentencing found Lee was likely suffering from “atypical depression” and prolonged grief at the time of the killings, as cited by Radio New Zealand.

At the High Court in Auckland on Wednesday (Nov. 26), Justice Geoffrey Venning acknowledged Lee’s distress and ongoing psychological struggles, including seven years spent largely in isolation across psychiatric facilities and prison, where she had been shunned by her own community and threatened.

However, he concluded these factors did not outweigh the gravity of her actions:

“You intended to kill your children [and] you knew your actions were morally wrong … Perhaps you could not bear to have your children around you as a constant reminder of your previous happy life.”

Venning also ruled that while Lee’s fragile mental state and grief were factors, her actions were ultimately “deliberate and calculated”.

Lee will serve her sentence with compulsory treatment, returning to prison once deemed mentally fit.

“Horrific, cruel and terrifying”

Lee’s mother told the court in a victim impact statement that she spent months surviving on alcohol to fall asleep, haunted by the same recurring question:

“If she wanted to die, why didn’t she die alone? Why did she take innocent children with her?”

She described her daughter’s crimes as “horrific, cruel and terrifying”.

Lee’s mother also mentioned that she was ostracised by her church community after her daughter’s actions came to light, and that she had been "labelled the mother of a murderer.”

Yuna’s and Minu’s uncle, Jimmy Jo, added that the tragedy had left a “continuous, gaping wound” in their family and that the truth had shattered them, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.

He revealed that his own mother, the children’s other grandmother, still does not know the children are dead. He fears the shock could kill her as she battles cancer overseas.

Top images via auyx.au and AFP