Defendant partially denies stabbing death of couple in their 50s; court session delayed due to yelling

The first trial in the jury trial of Kaoru Sakamaki (79), who was charged with murder and arson of existing buildings for stabbing an acquaintance and his wife to death in December 2024 in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, and burning down a total of eight houses in the surrounding area, including his home, was held on the 10th at the Chiba District Court. The defendant admitted to killing her husband, but denied killing his wife, saying, ``I never even saw her face.''

Regarding arson, he admitted setting the house on fire, but denied setting fire to the building where the fire spread, saying, ``I never thought the neighborhood would burn.''

According to the indictment, on December 18, 2024, the defendant killed a married couple in their 50s by stabbing them in the chest and back with a cattle knife on the premises of a residence in Kashiwa City. Immediately afterwards, they doused their home and three nearby houses with gasoline and threw lit newspapers into them, setting them on fire. It is believed that a total of eight houses, including some nearby, were burnt down.

In their opening statement, the prosecution pointed out that the defendant became dissatisfied with her husband when the approximately 7 million yen she lent him was not repaid, and ``felt that he had forgotten his debts and considered killing him.'' As for his wife, there were 18 wounds on her chest and neck, indicating that there was an intent to kill her.

Regarding the arson, he said he committed the arson out of desperation due to his own divorce and tried to burn down the house of a neighbor he hated as well. Of the eight buildings that burned down, the defendant claimed that in five of the buildings he did not directly set on fire, he was aware of the possibility of the fire spreading due to the fact that the buildings were adjacent to each other.

On the other hand, the defense argued that the defendant was not aware that the wife was nearby and that the beef knife struck her body when he repeatedly attacked her husband, and that there was no murderous intent. There was no motive to kill him.

Regarding the arson, the defendant claimed that the fires in the five buildings, which he did not directly set on fire, were not intentional because he had no ill feelings toward the residents.

Immediately after entering the court, the defendant yelled, ``I'm ready for the death penalty,'' which caused a significant delay in the opening of the trial, and at one point, while the prosecutor was reading the indictment, he yelled, ``Don't say that,'' and the court was adjourned.