OSAKA (TR) – Police in Daito City have arrested an 80-year-old man for stabbing his ex-wife to death while she was working at a local supermarket, a tragic escalation following a bizarre history of domestic disputes, reports Fuji News Network (Sep. 17).
Kumiko Oshikata, a 66-year-old supermarket employee, was confirmed dead at 4:19 p.m. on September 17.
Her ex-husband, Miyoshi Oshikata, was arrested at the scene. Initially taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder, police have since upgraded the charge to murder.
Upon his arrest, the suspect admitted to the allegations. “There is no mistake that I tried to kill her by stabbing her with a knife I brought from home,” he told investigators.
The daylight attack at the supermarket, located near a train station, caused panic among shoppers and bystanders.
“By the time I saw it, police cars had already arrived and set up a perimeter,” one witness at the scene said. “I saw the injured victim being carried away on a stretcher.”
The fatal stabbing follows a string of unusual police consultations involving the former couple. On the 8th of this month, the suspect contacted authorities to report, “My ex-wife is putting glue in my meals.”
When contacted by police regarding the bizarre claim, the victim downplayed the situation. She explained that her ex-husband was likely suffering from dementia and insisted there was no serious trouble between them. Because she had suffered no physical harm at the time, she declined police recommendations to evacuate or seek shelter.
During a search of the suspect’s residence following the murder, investigators uncovered a notebook containing the chilling written declaration: “I will kill her.”
Police are continuing to investigate the events leading up to the fatal attack.
