Defendant of manicurist murdered in Mito apartment, ex-girlfriend admits charges

On the 14th, the Mito District Court (presiding judge Sadahiro Ariga) held the first trial of Takumi Ouchi (29), his ex-girlfriend, who was charged with murder and violation of the stalking control law for the murder of Nail Artist Haruka Komatsumoto (then (31)) in an apartment in Mito City in late 2025, and the defendant admitted the charges. The main issue is the severity of the punishment.

Mito District Public Prosecutors Office indicts 28-year-old man over manicurist murder

The defendant remained silent during the investigation after denying the incident, saying it was ``unfounded.'' The trial will conclude with questioning of the defendant on the 17th, an argument and argument on the 24th, and a verdict will be handed down on the 30th.

Ms. Komatsumoto was pregnant and was found collapsed at the entrance of her apartment. According to Ibaraki Prefectural Police and other sources, the defendant repeatedly contacted her on social media even after their 24-year relationship ended, but she refused and continued to ask about her whereabouts. It is believed that a stuffed animal with a loss prevention tag that identifies its location was delivered to Komatsumoto's parents' home, and that his home was identified just before the incident.

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, the suspect allegedly wandered around his home every day and attached anti-lost tags to the back of his car's license plate without permission.