Over a 20-minute period that night, Seiji Honma, 36, allegedly grabbed his wife, 35-year-old Yoshiko, by the shirt and kicked and beat her.
Honma called police after the assault and said, “My wife was injured during a fight we were having,” Mainichi Broadcasting System reported (Apr. 23).
The suspect, who has been accused of attempted murder, denies the charges, according to Nippon News Network (Apr. 24). Police expect to change the charges to murder or manslaughter.
“I snapped while we were talking about our marital issues,” said Honma, who has two children with Yoshiko. “I didn’t mean to kill her.”
“He was said to have kicked his [children] while he was still wearing his shoes,” a friend of the victim is quoted. “So that’s scary. I just remember thinking he’s scary.”
