GUNMA (TR) – Gunma Prefectural Police have arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder following a nationwide manhunt, days after his ex-wife’s mother was found stabbed to death inside her home in Ota City, reports TV Asahi (Sep. 27).
Riki Mihara was taken into custody at 2:28 p.m. on Sunday at a pachinko parlor near Takasaki Station, approximately 40 kilometers from the crime scene. According to investigative sources, Mihara was sitting in a chair but not playing pachinko when officers approached him. He surrendered to investigators without resistance.
The charges stem from a bloody encounter shortly after noon on September 25. According to police, Mihara’s ex-wife and her 26-year-old brother returned to their family home in Ota City and walked in on Mihara inside the residence. Mihara then allegedly slashed his former brother-in-law with a bladed weapon.
Inside the home, the siblings discovered their mother, 52-year-old Yuka Tezuka, collapsed on the floor. She was later confirmed dead.
An autopsy revealed Tezuka died from hemorrhagic shock. She had sustained more than a dozen stab and slash wounds across her entire body, including her chest, stomach, and limbs.
Investigative sources revealed that Mihara had been relentlessly pressuring his ex-wife to reconcile after their divorce. The ex-wife had previously consulted police regarding domestic violence, warning them of a chilling threat Mihara had made: “I’ll kill your mother and brother, and then kill myself.”
Tragically, just one day before the fatal attack, police had advised the ex-wife, “It is better if you do not return to your parents’ house.” However, she reportedly told officers, “There are family circumstances, so it’s fine,” prompting police to only issue standard crime prevention guidance.
While Mihara was initially arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of the brother, police are currently transferring him to a local police station to investigate his movements following the incident and his suspected role in the brutal murder of his former mother-in-law.
