WAKAYAMA (TR) – A much-anticipated lay judge trial has begun at the Wakayama District Court, six years after the murder of a wealthy 77-year-old man known as “Don Juan of Kishu.”
On Thursday, just after 10:30 a.m., 28-year-old defendant Saki Sudo entered the courtroom wearing a black sleeveless dress.
Sudo stands accused of murdering her much-older husband, Kosuke Nozaki, in 2018 by giving him excessive amounts of kakuseizai, or methamphetamine.
Sudo quietly as she asserted her innocence. “I did not kill [Nozaki], and I did not give him stimulants,” she said. “I am innocent.”
Even when the police officer read out the charges against her, she did not appear particularly upset, and was seen touching her ears and brushing her hair back, according to Fuji News Network (Sep. 12).
“Perfect crime”
Meanwhile, in its opening statement, the prosecution argued, “The defendant married Nozaki for his fortune, and killed him in order to obtain a huge inheritance through the perfect crime.”
Prior to the incident, Saki had searched for terms such as “perfect crime,” “death of an elderly person” and “stimulant overdose.” She also searched for “text of a will if you want to leave all your assets to your wife.”
She later ordered more than 3 grams of stimulants — more than three times the lethal dose — from an illegal drug trafficking website.
28 witnesses
In several books penned by Nozaki, he claimed to have slept with 4,000 women. Prior to his death, he ran several businesses. His estate is valued at 1.3 billion yen.
In this murder case, there is little direct evidence, and the prosecution plans to call an unprecedented 28 witnesses to prove Saki’s crimes.
Meanwhile, experts familiar with criminal cases have pointed out that the hurdle for a guilty verdict is high.
Masaki Ayane, head lawyer at Your Ace Law Firm, says, “In criminal trials, it is necessary to prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. For example, if there is a strong possibility that the victim took stimulants themselves, [the defendant] will not be found guilty.”
The verdict will be handed down this December.
