AICHI (TR) – At the opening of the trial of a 31-year-old man this week at the Nagoya District Court, the prosecution claimed that the defendant killed his wife and infant child “in order to continue his affair with a female colleague.”
On October 29, Ken Watanabe, former nurse who most recently lived in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, appeared at the Nagoya District Court wearing a black suit, reports Fuji News Network (Oct. 31).
According to the indictment, Watanabe is alleged to have strangled his wife Haruka, then 29 years old, and 1-year-old daughter, Jun-chan, with a rope at their home in Nagoya’s Minami Ward in November 2021.
The defendant is also accused of attempted murder and planned murder.
Seven months before the murders, he allegedly mixed sleeping pills into Haruka’s drinking water and did not stop her from going out in a car with Jun-chan in an attempt to kill them through a traffic accident that resulted.
Five months later, he also stole 10 bottles of potassium chloride from the hospital where he was working at the time in planning a murder.
“I didn’t mean to kill my wife and daughter.”
During the trial, Watanabe admitted to murder. “There is no doubt about it,” he said. But he added, “I didn’t mean to kill my wife and daughter. I did steal the potassium chloride, but I did not intend to kill my wife.”
He also denied the charge of attempted murder as related to the car accident.
The prosecution pointed out that “the defendant committed each crime in order to continue his affair with a female colleague at work and to eliminate his wife and children who were an obstacle.” The prosecution added that “the crimes were extremely selfish and vicious, and the bereaved family’s desire for punishment is severe.”
Regarding the attempted murder, the prosecution argued that the defendant had been planning to kill the victim for some time and had the intent to kill. This claim was based on the fact that the defendant had viewed an Internet page on “cardiac arrest while driving” the day before the sleeping pills were mixed into her drink, and that there was a search history of “potassium chloride preparation death.”
The defense said it would not dispute the murder accusation. However, regarding attempted murder, the defense said that defendant did not stop his wife from driving after giving her the sleeping pills because he “thought that his wife had not taken the sleeping pills since there was no change in her physical condition.”
Regarding the theft of the potassium chloride, the defense argued that he had no intent to kill, saying that he was simply “feeling stressed about life as a married couple, so he just brought [potassium chloride] for peace of mind.”
An affair at work
Watanabe married Haruka in May 2018. However, eight months later, in January 2019, he began an affair with a nurse at work. Once Haruka found out about the affair, the relationship continued even after Watanabe and Haruka had their first daughter, Jun-chan.
The investigation report submitted by the prosecution revealed numerous search histories that suggest the defendant had been planning to kill his wife even before the incident.
An analysis of Watanabe’s smartphone revealed that he had been searching for “How to fake wife murder as drowning” and “Life insurance death benefits” since January 2021.
Over an extended period, Watanabe repeatedly gave Haruka sleeping pills. An analysis of her hair gave a positive result for ingredients of several sleeping pills.
In the midst of this, in mid-February 2021, Watanabe was informed by his lover that the affair was over. Even so, he gave Haruka sleeping pills, and she began to show various symptoms, including loss of consciousness, incontinence and memory loss.
The defendant’s search history included “nurse prison license” and “suicide insurance money,” as well as searches for the lethal dose of several drugs.
Around this time that there was a ground-breaking ceremony for his newly built house in Minami Ward, Niigata City and he searched for “construction underway, client, death.”
In mid-March, the affair resumed and Watanabe searched for “drowning hypoxic encephalopathy” and other terms.
Debt from horse racing investments, unauthorized misappropriation from wife’s account
A year before the incident, Watanabe borrowed money from several consumer finance companies to invest in horse racing, but it was later discovered to be fraud, leaving him in debt for about 4 million yen.
To repay the debt, Watanabe misappropriated money from Haruka’s bank account without permission. In Line conversations, Haruka expressed suspicions about the unfamiliar withdrawals.
Watanabe denied that that he was behind the withdrawals. However, Haruka was concerned. “What is this really?” she said. “It’s so confusing and scary. Should I change my account?”
On the same day that Haruka was given sleeping pills and caused the traffic accident, the bank’s investigation revealed that Watanabe was the person who had made unauthorized withdrawals. The accident occurred while she, in an angered state, was hurrying to her parents’ house.
The defense argued that Watanabe did not intend to kill her because he gave her sleeping pills since he was afraid that the debt would be discovered. However, since the debt had been revealed the existence of the sleeping pills became meaningless.
The prosecution also pointed out that Watanabe had been planning the murders for some time, as he committed acts and prepared to commit crimes according to the ups and downs of his affair.
Watanabe killed the Haruka and Jun-can about three months after he had moved into a new house and started a new life. It was also revealed that afterward Watanabe sent messages to his lover saying, “I love you, I love you.”
The verdict in the case is expected on November 22.
