KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have applied fresh charges of murder to a 45-year-old man who fled Japan for South American after allegedly killing his Chinese girlfriend seven years ago, reports TBS News (May 8).
On Monday, police accused Tomoyasu Takiya of strangling the woman, 40, to death inside an apartment in Minami Ward of Sagamihara City. Her body was found in August of 2010.
On March 24, the suspect arrived in Japan after being apprehended in Argentina. Police subsequently arrested him in the theft of 10,000 yen from a convenience store ATM in which a cash card of the woman was used on July 13, 2010.
The suspect has admitted to the charges of theft. However, he has declined to comment on the murder allegations.
Takiya became a person of interest after an examination of security camera footage taken near the convenience store. The suspect fled the country before the incident became known. He was subsequently placed on a wanted list with Interpol over the theft.
According to a previous report, Takiya entered Argentina as a tourist in 2010. Prior to his arrest earlier this month, the Japanese national was living on the streets of Buenos Aires, sleeping on sidewalks and distributing advertisements for brothels to earn a meager income.
At the time of the crime, the Chinese woman was working as a prostitute and Takiya was her boyfriend.
