An Arizona judge sentenced a mother who killed her two children with a meat cleaver to life behind bars Friday.
Yui Inoue, 44, was sentenced Friday to two consecutive life sentences for the murders. She also received two 20-year sentences to be served consecutively for two additional charges.
Before announcing the punishment, the judge remarked that it was one of the toughest cases he has ever encountered., according to AZ Family.
“Words can’t adequately describe what occurred,” Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Rueter said. “I can’t imagine what those children went through in their last minutes, the fear, the pain, the suffering. It’s incomprehensible.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a Mia and Kai Inoue, ages nine and seven, were found dead after Inoue went to a Tempe police station in May 2021 and told officers she heard voices telling her to kill the children.
Police said Inoue threatened to stab her husband during an argument hours before the children were killed. The husband told police he didn’t believe the children were in danger and went to sleep in his car. Police arrived to the home at the time but left, with the children still alive.
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According to 12 News, Inoue’s defense attorney said she struggled with mental health issues and underwent two involuntary evaluations in the months before her children died.
“My children are not dead,” a Japanese translator said, remembering what the defendant told her. “My parents have them. They are spending their time with my parents.”
“I love my children very much so it’s very strange. My children are with my parents.”
Police said before the murders, Inoue vanished with her son Kai, prompting a DCS investigation into alleged neglect. Authorities later found them and returned the child to his dad.
DCS said, at the time, it found no grounds to remove the children but kept the case open when the deaths occurred.
Investigators questioned Inoue’s mental health, but the judge barred any mention of it at trial.
She was subsequently sentenced her to two life terms for the murders, 17 years for each child abuse charge, and one year for disorderly conduct.
The judge ordered her to serve all sentences consecutively.
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[Feature Photo: Mia and Kai Inoue/Handouts]