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Kyoto woman admits to killing husband in ‘black widow’ trial

Chisako Kakehi
Chisako Kakehi has been accused in the poisoning deaths of three men, including her former husband (TV Asahi)

KYOTO (TR) – A woman on trial in the poisoning deaths of several men, including a former husband, reversed a previous denial in the case on Monday, reports Jiji Press (July 10).

At the Kyoto District Court, Chisako Kakehi, 70, admitted to killing her former husband, 75-year-old Isao. In 2013, he died after collapsing in his home in Muko City, Kyoto. His body was found to contain a lethal dose of hydrocyanic acid.

When asked by the prosecution whether she used poison to kill him, she answered in the affirmative. “With women he was involved with before me, my husband handed them tens of millions of yen, but I didn’t receive anything,” she told the court.

Described as a “black widow,” Kakehi has been married four times. During the investigation, police speculated Kakehi had been romantically linked to more than 10 men and played a role in the deaths of eight of them.

Police suspected that money was her motive. News outlets have reported that Kakehi had received up to one billion yen in inheritance following the deaths of the various men.

Kyoto Prefectural Police first arrested Kakehi for the alleged killing of Isao in 2014. the defendant faces four counts of murder, attempted murder and robbery in her trial that began in June. Prior to Monday, she had claimed innocence.