Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
The mother of the children, 9 and 7, found dead after they were attacked in their beds with a meat cleaver, tells the court, "They are spending time with my parents."
Warning: This story contains details of deadly violence against children.
A mother of two has been sentenced to life behind bars after being found guilty of murdering her seven- and nine-year-old with a meat cleaver while they were sound asleep -- while maintaining that they're still alive.
Yui Inoue from Tempe, Arizona allegedly took the lives of her children using an item "designed to cut the bones of animals," with Maricopa County Superior Judge Jeffrey Rueter saying, "Words can't adequately describe what occurred," when speaking to her in court, per AZFamily.
The 44-year-old was handed two consecutive life sentences on Friday for First-Degree Murder, according to a press release from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. She also received an additional 35 years to be served consecutively on charges of Felony Child Abuse and Disorderly Conduct.
Tempe Police Department
Mother Found Guilty of Butchering Her Young Children with Meat Cleaver Amid Divorce: Jury
View Story"I can't imagine what those children went through in their last minutes," Reuter told the court of the late Mia and Kai, "The fear, the pain, the suffering."
While speaking in court -- through a Japanese interpreter -- Inoue reportedly stated she didn't believe that her children were dead. She said, instead, that they were "spending time" with her parents, per Law & Crime.
"I love my children very much so it's very strange. My children are with my parents."
In February, the Maricopa County jury only deliberated for a short time, according to AZ Family, before rendering their verdict against her on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of child abuse, and one count of disorderly conduct in the deaths of her children.
Washington County Sheriff's Office
Florida Man Kills Woman, Then Kidnaps, Rapes Her Daughter-In-Law Before Locking Her In Toolbox: Sheriff
View StoryThe prosecution in the case argued that Inoue committed the murders to get back at her husband over financial frustrations amid their upcoming divorce. But the defense argued that this "very tiny very slightly built woman" was incapable of committing the brutally violent attacks.
On May 14, 2021, Tempe police responded to an apartment after Inoue's husband called 911 after she reportedly threatened him with a kitchen knife. Police saw that no one was hurt and their two children were asleep in their beds.
The officers left and ordered the couple to separate at that time.
On May 15, 2021, just after 7 a.m., Inoue reportedly went to the Tempe police station, according to a report from ABC affiliate KNXV at the time, and told them she was hearing voices telling her to kill her children.
When police then went to investigate, they made a horrific discovery.
For further details of the case, read the prosecution & defense arguments here.
