SHIZUOKA (TR) – Shizuoka Prefectural Police have applied fresh charges of murder and robbery to a 34-year-old man already in custody for dumping the body of his mother-in-law in a forested area of Shizuoka City last year, reports Kyodo News (Jan. 28).
On October 5, Toyokazu Yamamoto allegedly strangled Kumiko Jin, 62, to death in her residence in Shizuoka City’s Suruga Ward. He is also suspected of stealing about 3 million yen in cash.
Upon his arrest in November on suspicion of abandoning a corpse, Yamamoto admitted to the allegations. However, he denies killing his mother-in-law. “She was already dead when I arrived,” the suspect was quoted. “Because I would be suspected in her death I hid her body.”
The partially decayed body of Jin was found by a search team in the Otani area of Suruga on October 17. It was wrapped in a white curtain below the waist while her mouth was bound with adhesive tape.
On October 11, a person filed a missing persons report with police for Jin, who lived in Suruga. A male roommate of Jin told police that he hadn’t hear from her since October 5.
The results of an autopsy conducted on Jin’s body revealed that she died between 10 and 14 days before the discovery. During a search of Jin’s residence, police found that a curtain was missing.
During the investigation, police found 2 million yen cash on the balcony of the residence of Yamamoto. Police are investigating whether the money was stolen from Jin.
According to police, Yamamoto was in debt to Jin and consumer finance companies.
