TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 52-year-old male construction worker in connection with the killing of a woman whose corpse was found beneath her residence in Suginami Ward earlier this month, reports TBS News (Apr. 16).
On January 11, Hiroshi Aoki, an employee of a renovation company, allegedly dumped the body of Mieko Ueda, 62, beneath the floorboards of the kitchen of her residence, located in the Shimizu area.
On April 9, police entering the residence found the body of Ueda, heavily decayed and with her hands, feet and face wrapped in tape, in a storage space beneath the kitchen. The body had a stab wound in the left chest.
On the day of the discovery, relatives Ueda contacted police after not being able to contact her since January 3. On February 19, relatives first contacted police about the whereabouts of Ueda. However, police did not check under the floor.
Upon his arrest on Saturday, Aoki said he killed Ueda after becoming angry with her over a contract for renovation work to her residence. “I hit her, and then I stabbed her with a knife from the residence,” the suspect is quoted by police. He was sent to prosecutors on Sunday.
After committing the alleged crime, Aoki dumped the victim’s mobile phone, a key for the residence, the contract and his clothes in an attempt to conceal evidence, according to NHK (Apr. 16).
