TEMPE, AZ — The Tempe woman who murdered her children at an apartment in 2021 was given two consecutive natural life sentences while in court Friday.
Yui Inoue was found guilty in February of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.
A jury convicted Inoue of the following charges:
- Two counts of First-Degree Murder, a Class One Felony
- Two counts of Child Abuse, a Class Two Felony
- One count of Disorderly Conduct.
She was also sentenced to an additional 35 years for Child Abuse and for Disorderly Conduct to be served consecutive to the life sentences.
On May 15, 2021, Tempe police say they were flagged down by a woman, later identified as 40-year-old Yui Inoue, who primarily spoke Japanese, at the Apache substation near Apache Boulevard and McClintock Drive. She reported to officers that she was hearing voices telling her to kill her children.
Officers said they then went to an apartment near U.S. 60 and Mill Avenue for a follow-up investigation.
When officers entered the apartment, they located two children, identified by police as a 9-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, who were dead and had been severely mutilated.
Police said during the investigation, they learned that around 12:30 a.m., officers responded to the same apartment regarding a domestic dispute between the husband and wife. No one was arrested in the first response and they were made to separate at that time.
During the initial call, officers noted that the children were safe and in their beds before officials left.
Police said officers later spoke to her husband, who reported he had slept in his vehicle overnight. He told authorities they had an argument the night before. The husband added he left the apartment around 3 a.m. because he said Inoue reportedly threatened to stab him over money for her upcoming move to Japan.
The husband said the children were asleep at the time of the argument and he claimed he did not have concerns about Inoue harming them at that time.
During an interview with police, Inoue said she went to sleep with the children that night and when she woke up the next morning, she had blood on her hands and arms, and the children were dead. She then took a bath and drove to the police station.
Police said Inoue did not believe that she had killed the children but said she could not remember.
Authorities said a meat cleaver with bloodstains was found inside a bag in the vehicle Inoue drove to the police station.
“This woman will spend the rest of her days in prison, which is where she should be,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “As monstrous as this crime was, the greater tragedy is that it is not unique. Far too often, members of my prosecutorial teams are exposed to this kind of criminal depravity. I applaud those who put this defendant in prison, as well as every person at MCAO who is willing to take on this kind of ugliness to ensure justice is served.”
Video in the player above is from ABC15's previous coverage
