Auckland suitcase children murder trial

The story so far

A woman was tried in the Auckland High Court for murdering her two children, aged six and eight, who were killed in 2018.^{8, 23 Sep 2025} Their bodies were found in suitcases in an Auckland storage unit in 2022, after a couple won an auction for the unit.^{8, 23 Sep 2025} The woman accepted she killed the children, and her defence argued she was insane at the time, while the prosecution said she did not act insane. Evidence included a reported 1397% rise in her credit card spending after her husband's death and a business-class trip to Korea after the killings.^{9, 15 Sep 2025} The defence's forensic psychiatrist said she may have been insane, but a Crown expert said she was not. After closing arguments, the jury found her guilty of murdering both children.^{18, 19, 22, 23 Sep 2025}

Latest

The jury has found the woman guilty of murdering her two children.^{23 Sep 2025} In closing arguments, the Crown argued she knew the killings were murder and had given conflicting versions of events.^{22 Sep 2025}

Key moments

1. 8 Sep 2025Trial opens in Auckland High Court for woman accused of murdering her two children.
2. 9 Sep 2025Defence argues the accused was insane; prosecution says she did not act insane.
3. 15 Sep 2025Forensic accountant says credit card spending rose 1397% after husband's death.
4. 16 Sep 2025Accused reportedly claimed during the flight she had left the children at an orphanage.
5. 17 Sep 2025Police say CCTV footage of the accused at the storage site cannot be located.
6. 18 Sep 2025Defence's forensic psychiatrist says the accused may have been insane at the time.
7. 19 Sep 2025Crown expert says the accused was not insane; reported voices for eight years is rare.
8. 23 Sep 2025Woman found guilty of murdering her two children, aged six and eight.

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.