KYOTO (TR) – Kyoto Prefectural Police on Wednesday morning arrested Chisako Kakehi, a 67-year-old woman linked to a number of mysterious deaths, for poisoning her husband last year, reports public broadcaster NHK (Nov. 19).
On December 28, Isao Kakehi, 75, collapsed in his home in Muko City and was transported to a local hospital, where he died. They had been married for about one month. A legally ordered autopsy revealed cyanide in his system.
Police have accused Chisako Kakehi of murder, a charge she denies.
“I didn’t kill anyone,” Kakehi is quoted by TV Asahi (Nov. 19). “I don’t even know how to kill. As to the cyanide, I don’t know where it came from. I wish someone would tell me.”
Kakehi also had a relationship with another man, 71, who passed away on March 9 of 2012 after he fell off his motorcycle on a major road in Osaka. The cause of death was ruled to be a heart attack originating from an irregular heartbeat.
Blood taken from the man during the autopsy had been saved by Osaka Prefectural Police, and an analysis also revealed the presence of cyanide compounds.
Kakehi had been under police investigation since at least earlier this year. A minimum of six men with whom she has had a relationship have died under mysterious circumstances.
On Tuesday, police learned that Kakehi had begun to behave erratically, indicating that she wanted to die. Police later confirmed her whereabouts in Osaka on Wednesday. Though there is no direct evidence linking her to the poisoning of her husband, she was then taken into custody.
Police believe the motive for the murder was the collection of inheritance. Kakehi has admitted to receiving more than 100 million yen following the death of Isao Kakehi.
An investigative source tells Jiji Press (Nov. 19) that the suspect is believed to have received more than 800 million yen in inheritance from the six men who died mysteriously.
