Prosecutors on Monday sought an indefinite prison term in the lay-judge trial of a 28-year-old woman suspected of murdering her former wealthy businessman husband, nicknamed the „Don Juan of Kishu,“ in western Japan.
Saki Sudo allegedly killed 77-year-old Kosuke Nozaki in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture. Kishu is the old name for the region that includes Wakayama.
The ruling is scheduled to be handed down on Dec. 12.
In seeking the indefinite sentence, the prosecution said that Nozaki’s life and properties had been taken, which was a grave form of „damage.“
They said that „the defendant had opportunities to make (Nozaki) take stimulants.“ Nozaki died of acute stimulant poisoning.
Arguing that the motive was to inherit from Nozaki, the prosecution said that a large portion of the legacy had been used to purchase luxury cars and for cosmetic surgery, and that the defendant committed the crime „out of a desire for money to play.“
The prosecution then accused Sudo of being „very malicious and premeditated,“ saying that before the incident she had searched phrases such as „elderly death“ and „perfect crime“ on the internet, and prepared stimulants in advance.
In earlier hearings, the defense side argued that the searched phrases were displayed by a website after Sudo had watched a video. It said that Nozaki’s death by stimulant poisoning may have been suicide or an accident.
The defendant admitted in court to purchasing the stimulants, but said that she did it at the request of Nozaki.
According to the indictment, Sudo allegedly killed Nozaki on May 24, 2018, by making him take a lethal dose of a stimulant drug with murderous intent.