The trial of a woman accused of murdering her two children and concealing their remains in suitcases has begun in the High Court at Auckland, nearly seven years after the alleged killings.
Hakyung Lee, also known by her birth name Ji Eun Lee, is charged with the murder of her son and daughter, aged eight and six, between June and July 2018. She has pleaded not guilty and denies the allegations.
The children’s remains were discovered in August 2022 when a South Auckland family bought the contents of a Papatoetoe storage locker at auction and took the suitcases home, where they made the discovery. The case sparked an international investigation.
Lee, a New Zealand citizen, had left the country in 2018 and was located in South Korea, where she was arrested in September 2022. She was extradited to New Zealand in November that year.
In court on Monday, Lee sat with her head lowered as jury selection took place. She is representing herself at trial, with two lawyers acting as standby counsel. Justice Geoffrey Venning, who is presiding, reminded jurors that their task is to decide guilt or innocence based on the facts, and said the trial would likely also examine whether Lee was legally insane at the time of the alleged offending.
When asked to enter pleas, Lee remained silent and shook her head slightly. Justice Venning recorded not guilty pleas on her behalf. Crown lawyers are expected to open their case on Tuesday. The trial is scheduled to last up to four weeks.
Court documents allege Lee killed the children sometime between late June and late July 2018, possibly through the use of medication prescribed to her for sleeping problems following her husband’s death in 2017. The drug was not approved for use in children. A forensic pathologist later reported the children may have died directly from the medication, or that it may have incapacitated them so another method could have been used.
After their deaths, Lee is alleged to have wrapped the bodies in plastic, placed them in suitcases, and stored them in a Papatoetoe facility. She later changed her name and travelled to Seoul, continuing to pay storage fees until falling into arrears in 2022. The arrears led to the auction that revealed the remains.
The case has been delayed several times since Lee’s extradition but is now underway, with a verdict expected later this year.
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