New Zealand’s High Court has sentenced Hakyung Lee to life imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years, for the murder of her two young children whose bodies were discovered inside suitcases purchased from a storage facility auction in 2022. The case, known internationally as the “suitcase murders,” resurfaced in court this year as prosecutors outlined harrowing details that led to Lee’s conviction.

The remains were found by an unsuspecting family in Auckland who had bought the contents of a storage unit without knowing what was inside. The discovery immediately triggered a major police investigation spanning two countries, as Lee had been living in South Korea at the time.

Prosecutors told the court that Lee killed both children in 2018 before leaving New Zealand. She was arrested in South Korea in 2022 following an international warrant and later extradited to face trial. During proceedings, the court heard that the murders stemmed from what prosecutors described as a catastrophic breakdown in Lee’s personal circumstances, though the defence argued she was suffering from severe psychological distress at the time.

The judge said the minimum sentence reflected both the gravity of the crime and the vulnerability of the victims, emphasizing the lasting trauma inflicted on the community and the family who unknowingly discovered the remains.

The case has prompted renewed discussion within New Zealand about support systems for at-risk families, early intervention, and the challenges of identifying hidden domestic dangers before they escalate.

Authorities say the formal conclusion of the trial may offer some closure, but the broader questions around mental health, isolation and family violence remain at the forefront of ongoing national conversations.