1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,520 Speaker 1: The Auckland mam whose kids were found dead in suitcases. Well, 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: she's been found guilty of murder. Hook Young Lee has 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: admitted she killed her kids in late June twenty eighteen, 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: but her defense argued she was not guilty by reason 5 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: of insanity. Jury took less than four hours to reach 6 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: its verdict. Newstalks heb reporter Emily Ansel was in court, 7 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: good evening. Hello, what was the reaction? 8 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 2: Well, the reaction in court was pretty swift, about as 9 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 2: swift as this trial has gone. Lee was standing, but she, 10 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 2: as she has done throughout the trials, she kept her 11 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 2: head about and her hands crossed, and she was quickly 12 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 2: escorted out. Following those verdicts okay. 13 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: And the insanity claim from the defense, what was that 14 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: based on? So? 15 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 2: To start, she never disputed the fact that she caused 16 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 2: her children's deaths, but Lee claimed she was driven to 17 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 2: insanity following her husband's death from cancer in November twenty seventeen, 18 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 2: so about seven months before it's believed the children were killed. 19 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 2: Her defense claimed she was suffering from delusions, being tormented 20 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 2: by voices, and wanted to die. Didn't want her children 21 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 2: to find her or for them to live without their parents, 22 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 2: So they said she spontaneously decided to kill her children 23 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 2: during her own attempted suicide. 24 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: She is, so the jury's verdict definitely means they didn't 25 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: believe she was insane at the time that this happened. 26 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, so it was up to the defense to argue 27 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 2: the case for insanity, but as Justice Venning put it, 28 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:26,679 Speaker 2: finding her guilty would essentially make that the insanity arguments irrelevant. 29 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 2: So the jury's verdict is in line with the crown's 30 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 2: forensic psychiatrist witness doctor Eric Monasterio, who found that while 31 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 2: Lee was likely suffering from a depressive disorder and possibly 32 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 2: a prolonged grief disorder, there was no proof of any 33 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 2: psychotic elements required for that defense. So therefore he told 34 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 2: the jury he believed she didn't qualify, and that is 35 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 2: an opinion they clearly took on board and just to 36 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 2: continue that, the Crown argued Lee didn't want to be 37 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 2: a sole parent and murdered her children before fleeing to 38 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 2: Korea to start a new life under a new name. 39 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 2: They also argued she'd lied about how they died, and 40 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 2: she initially told her mum she never had children, then 41 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 2: telling then she told police when she was being extradited 42 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 2: from Koreas she had left them in a New Zealand institution. 43 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 2: So despite the judge warning today that lies alone don't 44 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:20,679 Speaker 2: infer guilt, it was, you know, clearly this alongside with 45 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 2: the Crown's other evidence that was convincing to the jury. 46 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: As you say, it only took them just over three 47 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,920 Speaker 2: hours under four hours for them to reach their verdict 48 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 2: this afternoon. What happens next, So what we know is 49 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 2: that Lee is due to be sentenced in late November. 50 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,079 Speaker 2: At the moment it's penciled down for the twenty sixth, 51 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 2: so we'll wait till them to see. 52 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: Thank you for filling us in on that News Talk, 53 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: saidb reporter Emily Ansel was in court for that helped 54 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: Young Lee verdict. 55 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 2: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 56 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 2: News Talk sai'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 57 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.