七年前，一名韓裔母親在紐西蘭犯下震驚社會的悲劇——她殺害自己的兩名年幼子女，並將屍體裝入旅行箱遺棄在奧克蘭的一處倉庫中。事件在當地時間2025年11月25日迎來司法裁決，紐西蘭奧克蘭高等法院判處這名韓國母親李某終身監禁，且在17年內不得假釋。

法官杰弗里·維寧在判決中指出，李某在丈夫去世後因無力獨自撫養子女而犯下罪行，他強調，“她殺害身心脆弱的孩子”。法官進一步解釋，李某在婚姻生活中高度依賴丈夫，當丈夫患重病並最終去世時，她無法承受照顧孩子的責任。法官表示，“孩子們不斷提醒她那段被殘酷奪走的幸福過往，她可能無法承受將他們留在身邊的痛苦。”

案件發生於2018年6月至7月期間，李某在紐西蘭將摻有抗抑鬱藥的果汁喂給當時9歲的女兒與6歲的兒子，致其死亡。隨後，她將兩具屍體裝入旅行箱，遺棄在奧克蘭的一個倉庫中，並逃回韓國。在此期間，她仍持續支付倉庫租金，以掩蓋犯罪行為。事件之所以被揭露，源於2022年李某在韓國遭遇經濟困境，無法再支付倉庫租金，導致倉內物品被強制拍賣。一名新西蘭購買者在拍賣中取得該旅行箱時，發現了兩具子女的屍體並報警，使案件浮出水面。

在庭審過程中，李某承認曾給年幼子女服用抗抑鬱藥，但辯稱，“2017年丈夫因癌症去世後，我受到巨大打擊患上抑鬱症”，“作案時因精神異常處於心神喪失狀態，因此不應承擔謀殺罪責”。法院最終未採納其辯護意見，認定李某對子女的殺害行為成立，判處其終身監禁。這起案件不僅揭示家庭悲劇的極端情況，也引發社會對心理健康、婚姻依賴以及單親育兒壓力的關注。受害子女的悲劇和案件持續四年的隱匿，更讓人感到震驚與痛心。

Seven years ago, a shocking tragedy occurred in New Zealand when a Korean mother killed her two young children and placed their bodies in a suitcase, which she then abandoned in a warehouse in Auckland. On November 25, 2025, the Auckland High Court delivered its verdict, sentencing the mother, Lee, to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for 17 years.

Judge Jeffrey Wening highlighted that Lee committed the crime after being unable to cope with raising her children alone following the death of her husband. He emphasized, “She killed vulnerable children.” The judge further explained that Lee had been highly dependent on her husband throughout their marriage, and when he became seriously ill and subsequently passed away, she was unable to shoulder the responsibility of caring for her children. He added, “The children constantly reminded her of a cruelly taken past happiness, and she may have been unable to bear the pain of keeping them alive.”

The crime occurred between June and July 2018. Lee gave her nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son juice laced with antidepressants, causing their deaths. She then placed the bodies in a suitcase and abandoned it in an Auckland warehouse before fleeing to South Korea. During this period, she continued to pay the warehouse rent to conceal the crime.

The case only came to light in 2022, when Lee’s financial difficulties in South Korea prevented her from paying the warehouse rent. As a result, the contents were put up for auction, and a buyer in New Zealand discovered the children’s bodies in the suitcase and reported it to authorities, exposing the crime.

During the trial, Lee admitted to giving her children the antidepressant-laced juice but claimed, “After my husband died of cancer in 2017, I suffered severe depression and was mentally impaired at the time of the incident, so I should not be held criminally responsible for murder.” The court rejected her defense, finding her guilty of murdering her children and sentencing her to life imprisonment.

This case not only exposes the extreme nature of the family tragedy but also raises broader societal concerns regarding mental health, marital dependence, and the pressures of single parenthood. The prolonged concealment of the crime for four years and the horrific loss of two young lives have left the public shocked and deeply saddened.