YAMAGUCHI (TR) – Yamaguchi Prefectural Police last week arrested a 69-year-old man for allegedly killing his wife after he drove his vehicle a distance of 60 kilometers with her body inside, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (Mar. 24).
Early on March 21, Shigemi Nakako allegedly used a cord to fatally strangle his wife Hiroyo, 66, as she slept in their residence in Kudamatsu City.
That same afternoon, police found Nakako behind the wheel of his vehicle on a mountain road — a distance of about 60 kilometers from their residence — in Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture. The body of Hiroyo was in the passenger next to him and covered by a white sheet.
Nakako, who has been accused of murder, admits to the allegations, according to the Kudamatsu Police Station.
The results of an autopsy revealed that Hiroya died as a result of suffocation due to pressure to the neck, police said.
Nakako and his wife shared the residence in Kudamatsu. Police launched a search for the couple after a relative was unable to contact them on the morning of the alleged crime.
Police are now seeking a motive for the crime.
