A court in Japan on Tuesday sentenced a 70-year-old woman nicknamed the “black widow” for killing her husband and two others and attempting to murder a fourth between 2007 and 2013.
Local media reported that the Kyoto District Court sentenced Chisako Kakehi to death.
Her defence team had pleaded she was not guilty, due to a lack of physical evidence, and had argued she could not be held responsible because of her dementia.
“In all four cases, the accused made the victims drink cyanide with intent to kill,’’ Judge Ayako Nakagawa told the court.
Kakehi was arrested in November 2014 on suspicion of having killed her husband Isao with cyanide.
When her trial began in June, Kakehi refused to speak, but later she admitted to killing Isao in December 2013, a month after their marriage.
Kakehi said Isao had not treated her as well financially as he had another woman he had dated.
“I wasn’t given any money after I married him.
“I have no intention of hiding the guilt. I will laugh it off and die if I am sentenced to death tomorrow,’’ she told the court in July.
The Japanese press have nicknamed Kakehi a “black widow,’’ or venomous spider.
Kakehi married and has dated over 10 men and inherited about 1 billion yen (8.8 million dollars) as she was looking for wealthy men through dating agencies.
However, she ended up falling into debt following her attempts to speculate in stocks and futures trading. (dpa/NAN)
ACO/SH