PHOENIX (AZ) — After short deliberations from the jury, a Tempe mom was found guilty of killing her two children with a meat cleaver in 2021.
The jury found Yui Inoue guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of child abuse and one count of disorderly conduct on Monday.
In closing arguments, the prosecution said the evidence is overwhelming that Inoue did this, but the defense argues there’s reasonable doubt.
Both sides agree this is a horrific tragedy. A 9 and 7-year-old lost their lives in the most brutal of ways.
The prosecution presented a passionate argument that Inoue killed her kids with a meat cleaver to get back at her husband for financial woes in their upcoming divorce.
But, the defense argues the state didn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt she did this.
It was in May 2021 when the prosecution says Inoue committed first-degree murder by milling her daughter Mia and son Kai.
There was a domestic dispute hours before their deaths. When police arrived the first time, the kids were alive. Later, Inoue went to the police station and told officers that voices were telling her to kill her kids.
When police went back to the Tempe home, the children were dead with dozens of chops and injuries to their bodies. They were also covered with trash, boxes, and a mattress.
The prosecution spoke first today, painting a picture of a mother who was upset with the terms of her divorce from her husband and plans to move to Japan.
They said she reflected in the moment before killing her children but that killing both of them in a row shows premeditation. They also argued there is no evidence based on the crime scene and potential motive that anyone else killed the children.
“Mia and Kai Inoue were sleeping soundly in their beds when their own mother came into their bedroom holding a knife. A meat cleaver, that is literally designed to cut the bones of animals. And she attacked them with it,” prosecutors said. “She had to think. She had to act. And there’s nothing unclear or speculative about any of that”
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The defense began their closing arguments shortly after, saying there were no eyewitnesses to the crime.
They focused heavily on reminding the jury about testimony from the medical examiner who said the amount of force needed to cause those specific injuries to the kids was extensive and significant.
“He (the medical examiner) likened the amount of force to a guillotine. … She (Inoue) is a very tiny very slightly built woman. She doesn’t have the energy, the power, or the strength to cause that type of injury to those kids,” they said.
The defense doubled down on their argument that no one saw the crime happen.
“There are seven other apartments in the building where Yui and her husband lived. You didn’t hear from any of the neighbors. Nobody saw or heard anything. If they did, the state would have called them,” they said.
Inoue is not in favor of the camera and media present in the courtroom and chose not to be there for closing arguments. She was not present for the verdict, so she learned her fate from her jail cell.
