Tempe woman found guilty of murdering her two children

PHOENIX – A jury has found a Tempe woman guilty in connection with the murders of her two children in 2021.

The woman, Yui Inoue, was found guilty of five counts, including 1st degree murder. She was not in court when the verdict was read.

The backstory:

The incident involving Inoue happened on May 15, 2021. Police said she had flagged down an officer at a Tempe police station near Apache Boulevard and McClintock Drive, and officers later went to her apartment in the area of Mill and Southern Avenues to investigate.

“Officers went to her apartment and found a 9-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy dead with “obvious signs of physical trauma,” Tempe Police spokesperson Sgt. Steven Carbajal said, at the time of the incident.

Law enforcement discovered a large amount of blood on the floor, with the two children covered by a blanket. Officials say there were “significant injuries” to their bodies, including lacerations, cuts and amputations “consistent with a violent attack and defensive wounds.”

Dig deeper:

At the time, police said the scene was ‘very traumatic’ for officers to walk into.

“There is something elevated about that when it’s a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old. This should have never happened,” Carbajal said at the time.

In court, prosecutors said “the medical examiner determined the cause of death for each was sharp force and chopping injuries.” They also alleged that Inoue was motivated by anger.