Hong Kong-A serial murder trial in japan took a cinematic turn this week when the accused, the "black widow", confessed in open court to having fatally poisoned her husband.
Chisako kakehi has been nicknamed the "black widow" by the media due to the untimely deaths of lovers and a husband, through the reported use of cyanide.
The case of kakehi, now 70, has gripped japan since her arrest in 2014, when the last of her four husbands, Isao kakehi, a 75 year old retired salary-man, was found dead in muko, a city of kyoto, the latest in a string of her partners to have died.
According to the authorities, Mr kakehi was one of six men who died after marrying or dating Mrs kakehi, the onetime proprietor of a t-shirt printing business. Mrs kakehi has been on trial since june 26, accused of killing Mr kakehi and two other boyfriends and trying to kill another man she has dated.
When she took the stand on monday, Mrs kakehi initially said she would remain silent but later stunned the court by confessing that she had indeed murdered her fourth husband in 2013.
"I killed my husband", Mrs kakehi said from the witness stand on monday "i have no intention of hiding the guilt. i will laugh it off and die if i am sentenced to death tomorrow "she said, according to the japan times.
Prosecutors say the men perished at her hands after making her the beneficiary of life assurance policies that ran into millions of dollars. she also confirmed the statement as the fuji television quoted her as saying on monday that the crime was just "an issue of money".
Japan criminal justice system has come under scrutiny in the wake of kakehi arrest, with questions being asked as to why a number of her lovers death were not investigated as suspicious.
In several cases, autopsies were not carried out on their bodies -something that could have found traces of the cyanide that detectives now believe to have killed them.
Kakehi, also dubbed "The Poison Lady" is reported to have used cyanide, which she claims to have gotten from a business associate, in the killing of her husband. Traces of cyanide were found in the rubbish by the police who raided her home in kyoto.
All the victims were between 70 and 80 years old, financially well off and childless and met Mrs kakehi between 2007 and 2013. The woman`s three other husbands, whom she met in the same period, have also all died , though she had not been charged with their deaths.
According to one official estimate, Mrs kakehi inherited as much as 1 billion yen(8.8 million dollars) from the men.
If convicted of murder, she could face the death penalty.
The final hearing in the murder case is to be held in October with the verdict expected to be handed down in November.
Chisako kakehi has been nicknamed the "black widow" by the media due to the untimely deaths of lovers and a husband, through the reported use of cyanide.
The case of kakehi, now 70, has gripped japan since her arrest in 2014, when the last of her four husbands, Isao kakehi, a 75 year old retired salary-man, was found dead in muko, a city of kyoto, the latest in a string of her partners to have died.
According to the authorities, Mr kakehi was one of six men who died after marrying or dating Mrs kakehi, the onetime proprietor of a t-shirt printing business. Mrs kakehi has been on trial since june 26, accused of killing Mr kakehi and two other boyfriends and trying to kill another man she has dated.
When she took the stand on monday, Mrs kakehi initially said she would remain silent but later stunned the court by confessing that she had indeed murdered her fourth husband in 2013.
"I killed my husband", Mrs kakehi said from the witness stand on monday "i have no intention of hiding the guilt. i will laugh it off and die if i am sentenced to death tomorrow "she said, according to the japan times.
Prosecutors say the men perished at her hands after making her the beneficiary of life assurance policies that ran into millions of dollars. she also confirmed the statement as the fuji television quoted her as saying on monday that the crime was just "an issue of money".
Japan criminal justice system has come under scrutiny in the wake of kakehi arrest, with questions being asked as to why a number of her lovers death were not investigated as suspicious.
In several cases, autopsies were not carried out on their bodies -something that could have found traces of the cyanide that detectives now believe to have killed them.
Kakehi, also dubbed "The Poison Lady" is reported to have used cyanide, which she claims to have gotten from a business associate, in the killing of her husband. Traces of cyanide were found in the rubbish by the police who raided her home in kyoto.
All the victims were between 70 and 80 years old, financially well off and childless and met Mrs kakehi between 2007 and 2013. The woman`s three other husbands, whom she met in the same period, have also all died , though she had not been charged with their deaths.
According to one official estimate, Mrs kakehi inherited as much as 1 billion yen(8.8 million dollars) from the men.
If convicted of murder, she could face the death penalty.
The final hearing in the murder case is to be held in October with the verdict expected to be handed down in November.
0 comments :
Post a Comment