WAKAYAMA (TR) – A 25-year-old woman has been prosecuted for the alleged murder of her wealthy husband in Tanabe City three years ago, prosecutors have revealed, reports Nippon News Network (May 20).
On Wednesday, Saki Sudo was prosecuted on suspicion of murder. She is alleged to have used unspecified means to administer a lethal does of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs, to her husband, 77-year-old Kosuke Nozaki, at their residence on May 24, 2018.
That night, she found Nozaki not breathing on a sofa in a second-floor bedroom of their residence in Tanabe. He was later confirmed dead.
After her arrest last month, police did not immediately disclose whether she admitted to the crime or not. However, investigative sources revealed on May 4 that she denies the allegations.
During the investigation leading up to her arrest, Sudo told police that she “knew nothing” about Nozaki’s death.
Data on her smartphone
The case against Sudo is based on circumstantial evidence.
Police previously said that Sudo did research on her smartphone about purchasing stimulant drugs and how to kill a person in the period leading up to Nozaki’s death.
Based on data on her smartphone, police are also aware that she was in the same location in Tanabe as a stimulant drugs dealer prior to the incident.
As well, security camera footage did not show anyone else in or around the Tanabe residence around the time the poisoning took place.
Suicide is not a consideration, police said.
Not breathing
Sudo is a native of Hokkaido Prefecture. After graduating from a vocational school in 2016, she moved to Tokyo. She would go on to work as an adult video actress, companion for wealthy men and “delivery health” escort.
Nozaki met Sudo through an acquaintance in late 2017. They married the following February, when he was 55 years her senior.
Nozaki amassed tremendous wealth through work in the real estate, consumer lending and agriculture industries. His palatial residence in Tanabe is adorned with works of art. His estate is worth an estimated 1.3 billion yen.
Nozaki was known for his womanizing ways, frequently boasting about past relationships. In 2016, he penned “Don Juan of Wakayama: The Man Who Has Supported 4,000 Women with 3 Billion Yen.” Weekly magazines and television programs began to subsequently refer to him as “Don Juan.”
Fraud
Also on Wednesday, police said that Sudo has been further accused of swindling a 67-year-old male acquaintance in Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture out of 11.7 million yen in January 2016.
Police allege that she received the funds into her bank account for falsely claiming to have settled a dispute involving an injury to another woman the month before.
At the time, Sudo was 19 years old. She has declined to comment on the latest allegations, police said.
