TEMPE, AZ — A Tempe woman has been found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the 2021 deaths of her two children.
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.
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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.
It is with a very heavy heart that we share that we are investigating a homicide in the 4100 block of S. Mill Ave. Officers located a deceased 9 year old and 7 year old inside the apartment. The mother of the children has been detained and is being interviewed. pic.twitter.com/hCEymjjHoZ
— Tempe Police (@TempePolice) May 15, 2021
During the initial call, officers noted that the kids were safe and in their beds before officials left.
Police said officers later spoke to her husband who reported that he had slept in his vehicle overnight. He told authorities they had an argument the night before. The husband added that he left the apartment around 3 a.m. because he said Inoue had reportedly threatened to stab him over money for her upcoming move to Japan.
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The husband said that 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. Around 4:30 a.m., she woke up with 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.
A jury also found Inoue guilty Monday of two counts of child abuse in the case.
A sentencing date has been set for March 21, 2025, according to court documents.
