Name Joanna Lee Role Exorcism victim | Died December 10, 2000 | |
Joanna Lee (also known as Keum Ok Lee) (c.1963 – December 10, 2000) was a Korean woman who was killed in December 2000 during a prolonged and violent exorcism carried out by Pastor Luke Lee of the Lord of All cult, in Auckland, New Zealand.
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Early life
The details of Joanna Lee's early life are not clear. She may have been an orphan raised by a religious group in South Korea. After being accepted into the Lord of All cult, she flew to Auckland in October 2000, on a three-month visitor permit with a return ticket.
Exorcism
In early December 2000, Pastor Lee (no relation to Joanna Lee) determined that Joanna Lee was possessed by "at least 20 demons". He believed they would not leave her body until she was dead, but she could then be brought back to life.
On December 10, Pastor Lee began the exorcism. Over the next six hours, he sat on her chest and abdomen, "bounced" on her body, broke several bones, and finally strangled her with his hands. When she stopped breathing no efforts were made to resuscitate her.
Her decomposing body was found by police in a house in Auckland on December 15, after a follower raised the alarm. She had been dead for one week.
Funeral
No friends or relatives could be contacted to claim Lee's body or make funeral arrangements. In mid-2001, the Auckland Korean community performed a Christian funeral service for her and her body was cremated.
As of late 2001 her ashes were still unclaimed.
Trial
Pastor Lee was subsequently charged in relation to her death. He refused all offers of legal aid and would not participate in the trial. However, he predicted that Lee would "rise from the dead" during his trial. Lee was sentenced to six years imprisonment, and was deported shortly after his conviction. In April 2006, he won an appeal against his conviction. The Court of Appeal stated that Joanna Lee's possible consent to the exorcism had not been properly considered during the first trial.