Name suppression has now lapsed for an Auckland man who was charged with double murder following the deaths of an 11-year-old boy and his father. 

Jaeyoung Jang, 38, had asked for interim name suppression when he first appeared in Manukau District Court on October 24. 

During his first appearance in the High Court at Auckland on Wednesday, Jang wept as defence lawyer David Hoskin asked for suppression to remain in place a few more days. 

Justice Mathew Downs agreed to the delay, which was not opposed by the Crown. Suppression lapsed at 11.59pm last night. 

Jang was charged with two counts of murder three weeks after the bodies of Jung Sup Lee, 36, and his son, Ha-il Lee, were found in a house fire on Murvale Drive in Bucklands Beach. 

Police allege the East Auckland fire was deliberately lit with an accelerant. 

Jaeyoung Jang, accused of the double murder of Jung Sup Lee, 36, and his 11-year-old son, Ha-il Lee, appears in the High Court at Auckland on 12 November 2025. Photo / Jason Dorday 

CCTV footage and information provided by the public aided in the arrest, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Va’aelua previously told the media. 

The defendant has pleaded not guilty and is set to go to trial in February 2027. 

Police and fire investigators remain at the scene of a fatal house fire in Bucklands Beach, Auckland, on October 3, 2025, one day after two people died in an early morning fire. Photo / Cherie Howie 

Ha-il Lee, a student at Bucklands Beach Intermediate, has been described by his principal as a “delightful” pupil and a credit to his family. 

The child’s older brother and mother escaped unscathed, authorities said. A boarder at the house was also uninjured. 

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.