PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Trial began on Monday for a Tempe mom accused of killing her two children four years ago.
Prosecutors say the murder weapon was a meat cleaver and the mom, Yui Inoue, reportedly told detectives she was hearing voices.
The details from opening statements and witness testimony are extremely disturbing.
The jury heard the same message from the prosecutor and defense attorney. Inoue was only in court for a few minutes and through a Japanese interpreter told the judge she did not want to take part in her trial.
“There is a camera in the room, so I would not like to be present,” she said.
The judge then told the jury not to consider that decision during their deliberations and opening statements continued without the defendant present.
“There’s always two sides to a story. We see it every day in life,” said Inoue’s attorney.
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The defense asked the jury to focus on the evidence. “The only evidence comes from right there on the witness stand,” she said. “You will determine what happened on May 15, 2021.”
The prosecution had a much different approach, constructing the story of what they believe that evidence tells.
“The defendant, motivated by anger and a desire to destroy her husband, took everything from him when she violently attacked and ultimately ended the lives of her children, 9-year-old Mia and 7-year-old Kai,” the state argued.
According to prosecutors, Inoue and her husband were going through a divorce and had agreed she would go back to Japan, while their two kids stayed with their father in the U.S.
“On May 14, however, all of that changed,” stated prosecutors during opening statements.
Police responded to the couple’s apartment for a domestic argument where Inoue’s husband had called 911.
“My ex-wife was screaming, holding a kitchen knife,” the husband told 911 dispatch.
Photos taken at that scene that day show shattered computer screens and the knife Inoue had allegedly threatened to stab her husband with during an argument over money. At that point, the children were alive and asleep in the bedroom.
But a short time later, police were back at the home after Inoue turned herself into Tempe police. The interaction can be heard on the officer’s body-camera.
“But the voices are telling you to kill your children?” asked the officer. “Yeah,” replied Inoue.
Officers found the children dead covered by blankets and boxes.
“The number of injuries suffered by each one of these children was too many to count,” said the prosecution.
Inoue has a history of mental health issues, violence and allegations of kidnapping. However, the attorneys in this case agreed they would not bring those topics up in this trial and it’s unclear why.
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