Former boyfriend sentenced to 21 years in prison in Mito manicurist murder case

On the 24th, the Mito District Court (presiding judge Sadahiro Ariga) held a jury trial for Takumi Ouchi (29), his ex-girlfriend, who was charged with murder and violation of the Stalking Control Act for the murder of Nail Artist Haruka Komatsumoto (then (31)) in an apartment in Mito City in late 2025, and the prosecution requested a sentence of 21 years in prison. The trial concluded on this day, and the verdict is scheduled for the 30th.

Ex-girlfriend admits charges to murder of Mito manicurist - first trial in district court

The defendant has admitted the charges, and the main issue is the severity of the sentence. During questioning of the defendant at the previous trial, the defendant said that he was not satisfied with Komatsumoto's decision to break up with him, and that he was blocked from contacting her on social media and other sites, and that he was "definitely going to find (Komatsumoto)."

According to the defendant's explanation, five days before the murder, he delivered a stuffed animal with a loss-prevention tag that pinpoints its location to Komatsumoto's parents' house under the false pretense that it had won a campaign, so that it would be delivered to Komatsumoto's parents. In the early hours of that day, another anti-loss tag was attached to Komatsumoto's car, allowing him to track his movements.

He purchased a hammer as the murder weapon, dressed up in work clothes and a hat, posed as a courier, and attacked at the front door. ``I thought the hazy feelings would go away. I wanted to go back and reset before we met,'' he said. She said she did not know that Komatsumoto was pregnant.

According to the indictment, Ouchi hit Komatsumoto multiple times in the head with a hammer and stabbed her in the neck with a kitchen knife, killing her on the evening of December 31, 2015, at her apartment in Kakuraimachi, Mito City. Starting on the 28th, he allegedly wandered around his home every day and attached anti-lost tags to the back of his car's license plate.