SAITAMA (TR) – A man arrested in connection with the murders of two female residents at a nursing home in Tsurugashima City has been further accused of theft, police said, reports TBS News (Nov. 5).
Two female residents were murdered at the Wakaba Nursing Home on October 15. Police have arrested former facility staff member Toya Kimura, a 22-year-old resident of Kumagaya City, on suspicion of murdering 89-year-old Toshiko Kobayashi.
Upon his apprehension, he admitted to murdering Kobayashi at the 64-bed facility in the pre-dawn hours of October 15. He also admitted to being behind the death of 89-year-old Akiko Uei, police said previously.
Subsequent investigations have led to suspicions that Kimura broke into a restaurant in Kumagaya City and stole 20,000 yen in cash between October 12 and 14, prior to the nursing home incident.
Police rearrested Kimura today on suspicion of theft and other crimes. During questioning, Kimura said, “I did it to earn a living.”
At around 3:30 a.m., a worker making rounds in the facility found Kobayashi bleeding from the head in her fifth-floor room. The worker then raised her blanket to find more blood on her torso.
Staff later found Uei bleeding and unconscious inside her fourth-floor room.
Blood-stained knife
Kimura worked at the facility until July of last year. He gained access to the inside by using a four-digit pass code at the entrance.
Police began questioning Kimura on a street about 250 meters from the facility at around 8:40 a.m. Police used his testimony to located a bag in Tsurugashima that contained a blood-stained knife.
Police are investigating whether Kimura was behind any other crimes and are also investigating the motive for the murders.
