KYOTO (TR) – A woman in custody for the murder of men with whom she had a relationship has hinted at involvement in a number of other deaths, investigators revealed on Wednesday, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 18).
According to police, Chisako Kakehi, 68, who has been arrested twice since November for allegedly poisoning a former husband in Kyoto and boyfriend in Osaka, implied that she participated in the deaths of an elderly man and several others in Hyogo Prefecture.
Described as a “black widow,” Kakehi has been married four times. She has had relationships with multiple men who died under mysterious circumstances over the past 10 years. News outlets have reported that she received up to one billion yen in inheritance following the deaths of the various men.
On December 28 of 2013, Isao Kakehi, 75, collapsed in his home in Muko City, Kyoto and was transported to a local hospital, where he died. They had been married for about one month. A legally ordered autopsy revealed cyanide in his system.
The year before, her common-law husband, 71-year-old Masanori Honda, died after he crashed his motorcycle in Osaka. The cause of death was ruled to be a heart attack originating from an irregular heartbeat.
Blood taken from Honda during the autopsy had been saved by Osaka Prefectural Police. After suspicions were later raised about his death, an analysis performed on the blood last year revealed the presence of cyanide compounds.