SAITAMA (TR) – Earlier this month, Saitama Prefectural Police arrested a 58-year-old man on suspicion of attempting to kill the daughter of his girlfriend.
Last week, police applied fresh charges to the suspect, this time for the alleged murder of his girlfriend. According to Kyodo News (July 25), both crimes unfolded mere hours apart.
At some point on July 1 or the following day, Terumasa Watanabe, of no known occupation, allegedly used a rope to strangle Manami Kumada, 46, inside his apartment in Saitama City’s Midori Ward.
Upon his arrest on suspicion of murder on July 25, Watanabe declined to comment on the allegations, police said.
Girlfriend’s daughter
After strangling Kumada, the suspect then visited her residence in Minami Ward. At around 7:00 a.m. on July 2, he allegedly choked Kumada’s daughter, police said.
After the second incident, the girl, aged in her teens, fled the residence and sought help from a neighbor, who alerted police.
At just past 5:00 p.m. on July 2, officers investigating the matter entered Watanabe’s residence and found Kumada’s body.
At the time, Watanabe’s whereabouts were not known. The following day, police located him at an unspecified location in Ageo City and accused him of attempted murder.
Police are now investigating the circumstances that led to the incidents.
