Japanese 'Black widow' suspect held after cyanide death of husband No 4
The so-called Japanese "black widow" suspected of killing numerous partners for money was on the hunt for an "unattached elderly man with assets" when her fourth husband was poisoned with cyanide, reports said on Friday.
Chisako Kakehi, 67, who was arrested this week on suspicion of murdering her 75-year-old spouse, had received one billion yen ($8.5 million) in insurance and other payouts over 10 years following the deaths of husbands and lovers.
But the former bank worker, who held the money in more than 10 different accounts under several names, had lost most of the cash in bad bets on futures markets, Yomiuri newspaper reported.
In a case that has gripped Japan for days, the Asahi newspaper reported Kakehi had been involved with more than 10 men over the last two decades, of whom six had perished.
Marriage agencies
Most had been found through marriage agencies. She would look for partners who had land or property, but no children, the paper quoted investigators as saying.
She was on the prowl for a new companion when Isao Kakehi - her fourth and most recent husband - died in December, it said.
She wanted the man to be "elderly" and "living alone," the paper said, citing an investigator. She also made remarks suggesting that "it would be better if he has an illness".
Kakehi - dubbed "black widow" by some media for the female spider that eats its mate after coupling - has said she had serial relationships because she wanted peace of mind.
"I want to lead a peaceful life in my old age without scrambling for money but by relying on a decent man," she told the NTV network last month.
She inherited money from some of her unmarried partners as she had notary documents saying they would leave their money to her.
Giving her such documents was "the minimum, necessary way of expressing their sincerity", she said.
Over the course of several doomed relationships, Kakehi inherited hundreds of millions of yen in real estate, bank deposits and insurance money, Jiji Press said.
Kakehi's alleged dalliance with death began in 1994 when her first husband passed away at the age of 54, although there is so far no suggestion she was involved.
In 2006, her second husband died of a stroke at age 69, while the third marriage ended in 2008 with the death of her 75-year-old partner, according to Jiji.
A boyfriend, believed to have been suffering from some form of cancer, died a year later, and in 2012 her then-fiance met his fate after collapsing while riding a motorbike. Kakehi denies any responsibility for the deaths.
(China Daily 11/22/2014 page10)
