On February 9, 2016, Yoka Ishikawa, a resident of Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, allegedly used a blunt weapon to fatally beat Taki Ishikawa, 81, over the head on a mountain road in the Kamiyamaguchi area of the town of Hayama.
On the evening of the following day, the body of Taki was found by family members along the road. The cause of death was shock resulting from loss of blood, police said.
Yoka, who has been accused of murder, denies the allegations. “I had nothing to do with it,” the suspect was quoted by police.
At the time of the incident, Yoka was living with Taki at the residence of the victim, located about 1.5 kilometers from the crime scene. The victim is believed to have been attacked when she was returning home after tending to a farming field.
Last month, police arrested Yoka and her 27-year-old son for allegedly setting fire to the residence, where the husband of Taki, 84, also lived, in March, 2016. They both have been sent to prosecutors on suspicion of arson at an inhabited building and attempted fraud. Police believe the pair committed the crime to collect a fire insurance payout.
