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Woman arrested for killing brother to be charged over father's death

Oct 15, 2018 (Japan Today) - Police in Sakai, Osaka, plan to charge a 44-year-old woman, already under arrest for killing her 40-year-old brother by making it look like he committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, with the murder of her father by withholding his insulin.

Akemi Adachi, who is the president of a construction company in Sakai, was arrested on suspicion of killing her brother Masamitsu, who managed another company, at their parents' house in Naka Ward sometime between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on March 27, Fuji TV reported. Police allege that Adachi gave her brother sleeping pills.

Police said Adachi called Masamitsu's wife and urged her to come to their parents' home because something had happened to Masamitsu. When Masamitsu's wife arrived just before 7:30 p.m., Adachi showed her a suicide note and said Masamitsu had shut himself in the toilet on the second floor. The toilet door had been sealed with an adhesive bond. When Masamitsu's wife and Akemi managed to open the door, they found Masamitsu’s body lying on the toilet floor. Traces of charcoal briquettes were found in the toilet.

Masamitsu was taken to hospital where his death was listed as a probable suicide due to carbon monoxide poisoning. However, traces of sleeping pills were found in his body after an autopsy. Furthermore, the empty adhesive bottle was not found inside the toilet, but in another room, along with a lighter. Police learned that Adachi had been prescribed sleeping pills which they believe she somehow gave to her brother via a spiked drink. A suicide note, purp0rtedly from the victim, was found by his wife who said the writing did not look like Masamitsu’s. Police said they found the text of the note on Adachi's computer.

The Adachis' 67-year-old mother was also found collapsed at the house that day. Police said she told them later that she blacked out after drinking a matcha latte made by Akemi.

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