Bodies in suitcase trial delayed indefinitely
The trial of a woman accused of murdering her school-aged children is set for a lengthy delay.
Hakyung Lee, 43, was extradited from South Korea in 2022 after the bodies of her two children were found in suitcases that were kept in an Auckland storage unit.
Her double-murder trial was set to start yesterday but the lawyers for Lee, 43, were granted what is likely to be a lengthy postponement.
The reasons for the adjournment cannot be revealed for legal reasons, but it can be reported that Justice Rebecca Edwards made the decision based on fair trial issues.
Lee, who looked down at her lap with her hair covering her face for the duration of yesterday’s appearance in the High Court at Auckland, was remanded back into custody.
A hearing has been scheduled for next month to determine a new trial date.
Police descended upon a South Auckland residence in August 2022 after a family that had purchased items from an abandoned storage unit at auction made an unsettling discovery upon opening two suitcases. Inside were the remains of siblings Minu Jo, believed to have been 6 at the time of death, and Yuna Jo, thought to be 8.
Months later, Lee was charged with having killed both children in Manukau sometime between June 23 and June 27, 2018, meaning they would have been dead for over four years at the time of the discovery.
Lee was taken into custody in South Korea at the request of New Zealand law enforcement and arrived in Auckland in November that year, pleading not guilty.
The defendant was born in Korea but obtained New Zealand citizenship after moving here.
Immigration records suggest she returned to Korea in 2018.
Lee has maintained her innocence throughout the already lengthy legal process.
“I didn’t do it, it’s the truth,” she said during a court outburst last April.
Lee first appeared in the Manukau District Court nearly 18 months ago. While a specific new trial date has not yet been set, it is unlikely to happen this year.