AICHI (TR) – A courtroom right here final month handed a 31-year-old man a life-in-prison time period for murdering his spouse and then-one-year-old daughter at their dwelling in Niigata Metropolis three years in the past.
In response to the ruling handed down on November 22, Ken Watanabe, a former nurse, strangled his spouse Haruka, then 29 years previous, and 1-year-old daughter, Jun-chan, with a rope at their dwelling in Minami Ward in November 2021.
Along with homicide, the defendant was accused of tried homicide and deliberate homicide.
Seven months earlier than the murders, he blended sleeping capsules into Haruka’s consuming water and didn’t cease her from going out in a automobile with Jun-chan in an try to kill them via a site visitors accident that resulted.
5 months later, he additionally stole 10 bottles of potassium chloride from the hospital the place he was working on the time in planning a homicide.
In the course of the trial, Watanabe admitted to homicide. “There isn’t a doubt about it,” he mentioned. However he added, “I didn’t imply to kill my spouse and daughter. I did steal the potassium chloride, however I didn’t intend to kill my spouse.”
Watanabe married Haruka in Might 2018. Nevertheless, eight months later, in January 2019, he started an affair with a nurse at work.
The prosecution had sought a life time period, mentioning that the motive for the murders was “to remove his spouse and daughter, who had been obstacles to persevering with his relationship along with his lover, who was a colleague at work.”
The protection sought a fixed-term sentence. “The defendant is regularly deepening his regret and it can’t be mentioned that he has no chance of rehabilitation.”
“I need a divorce”
As beforehand reported, Watanabe had collected money owed and stole funds from his spouse’s checking account.
In a single listening to on November 7, precisely three years after the murders, Watanabe described to the courtroom the moments main as much as the homicide of his spouse and youngster.
That morning, Watanabe received right into a dispute with Haruka about taking good care of their youngster and home tasks, studies Fuji Information Community (Nov. 10).
He advised the courtroom. “I couldn’t take it anymore, so I advised her, “I need a divorce. I’m all the time the one doing the home tasks and also you don’t do something round the home. Please divorce me.’ At first, she appeared stunned, however then she mentioned, ‘Are you actually saying that? You had an affair, received into debt and used the cash in my account to pay it off with out my permission. So you don’t have any proper or qualification to say that. You need to be grateful that you simply’ve been with me up till now.”
Watanabe went on to say that he went to closet to retrieve the rope he had left there beforehand. At that second, Haruka’s relations within the gallery had been sniffling and holding again tears that echoed all through the courtroom.
About his daughter, he mentioned, “I held her and mentioned, ‘I’m sorry.’ However after that, I used to be actually terrified of my daughter.”
When requested why he was scared, he mentioned, “As a result of I ran via the entire strategy of killing my spouse, and my daughter’s face regarded like my spouse’s.”
He was then reminded that she was just one 12 months previous. “She’s just one 12 months previous, however I believed perhaps she’d bear in mind what occurred sooner or later,” he mentioned.
