Grim particulars of 'suitcase homicide' revealed in court docket

[ad_1] The our bodies of two younger youngsters found in suitcases in New Zealand – allegedly after having been killed by their mom – contained traces of an anti-depressant drug, a court docket has heard.

Hakyung Lee, 44, is being tried in an Auckland court docket over allegations that she murdered her youngsters – eight-year-old Yuna Jo and six-year-old Minu Jo – and hid their our bodies in a storage facility.

The stays of the youngsters have been found inside suitcases by a household who had bought the contents of the storage unit at public sale in 2022.

Traces of the anti-depressant Nortriptyline have been later discovered within the chest cavity and liver of each Yuna and Minu, prosecutor Natalie Walker instructed the court docket on Tuesday.

The drug shouldn't be given to youngsters, and in instances of overdose could cause seizures, drowsiness or dying.

Ms Lee was prescribed Nortriptyline as a trial in 2017 after telling a health care provider she was having bother sleeping and felt dizzy following her husband's most cancers prognosis.

She has pleaded not responsible to 2 prices of homicide, however accepts she brought on the deaths of her youngsters, the court docket heard.

She additionally accepts that after their deaths she wrapped them in three plastic luggage, put them in suitcases that she sealed with duct tape, and took them to a storage centre the place she left them for 4 years, the prosecution instructed jurors.

Prosecutors additionally allege Ms Lee modified her identify and, a month after killing her youngsters and hiding their our bodies, flew to Seoul on a enterprise class seat.

She was was arrested in Ulsan, South Korea in September 2022 after Interpol issued a worldwide purple discover for her, and extradited to New Zealand in November of that yr.

The court docket on Tuesday additionally heard the grisly particulars of how the youngsters's our bodies have been found.

On 10 August 2022, two members of the general public received an public sale and paid $401 New Zealand {dollars} (£175; $238) for Ms Lee's deserted storage locker, which was crammed with home items together with bikes, clothes and two suitcases.

When loading these suitcases onto his trailer the following day, the client seen an uncommon scent – which he likened to "the scent of a lifeless rat" – and, after arriving house, minimize into the locked and plastic-wrapped suitcases with a knife.

Inside have been a number of black, tightly tied plastic luggage stuffed inside each other. Inside these have been the our bodies of two youngsters – one in every suitcase – who have been later recognized as Yuna and Minu.

An post-mortem decided that there was no signal of trauma to the youngsters's our bodies, like damaged bones, although it was clear they'd been killed by another person.

A pathologist discovered they'd died by murder by unspecified means, together with the usage of Nortriptyline, the prosecution stated.

The court docket heard that Ms Lee picked up her prescription for the drug from a pharmacy in August 2017 – 5 months after her husband, Ian Jo, was recognized with most cancers.

Within the lead-up to Mr Jo's dying in November 2017, Ms Lee on a number of events instructed that she and the youngsters would additionally die if he did, in response to the prosecution. Ms Lee's mom allegedly recalled her crying on the cellphone saying she would die if Mr Jo died.

On one other event, Ms Lee allegedly texted her husband saying "when you die I'll die together with our two children".

And whereas on vacation in Australia after Mr Jo's dying, Ms Lee allegedly instructed a buddy that she wished the aircraft had crashed so she and her youngsters might have died collectively. Ms Lee stated she would have been much less unhappy if her youngsters had died slightly than her husband, the prosecution instructed the court docket.

Defence lawyer Lorraine Smith instructed the court docket that Ms Lee's "descent into insanity", which resulted in her killing her two youngsters, started when Mr Jo died. Earlier than that, the defence stated, they have been a "blissful little household".

After Mr Jo was admitted to ICU after which palliative care, Ms Lee started to "unravel" and got here to imagine it was greatest if all of them died collectively, Ms Smith stated.

The defence claims Ms Lee gave additionally took antidepressants when she gave them to her youngsters, however acquired the dose incorrect – and when she awakened, her youngsters have been lifeless.

"She has killed her youngsters however she shouldn't be responsible of homicide by motive of madness," Ms Smith stated.

Because the trial opened on Monday, Justice Geoffrey Venning instructed the jury that it was doubtless the case would decide "whether or not, on the time the youngsters have been killed, Ms Lee was insane".