Society

Man gets 21 years in prison for killing wife whose body hasn’t been found

Mar 09 (Japan Today) - The Chiba District Court has sentenced a 49-year-old man to 21 years in prison for fatally stabbing his 32-year-old wife in 2020, even though her body has never been found.

In handing down the ruling against Akira Ono, who lived in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Presiding Judge Yoshihisa Nakao said that Ono was in a bitter dispute with his estranged wife Rina, who lived in Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, over custody of their eldest son and felt his life would be ruined because of his inability to pay child support, Sankei Shimbun reported. The couple had been separated for two years prior to Rina’s disappearance in March 2020.

After he was arrested in November 2020, Ono told police he was having a heated argument with his wife in her car when she suddenly pulled out a box cutter knife. The two subsequently got into a scuffle. Ono claimed he accidentally stabbed Rina in the neck but denied intent to kill her. He said he buried Rina’s body at a beach in Hokota, Ibaraki Prefecture. But he later recanted his statement. Police searched the beach but were unable to find Rina’s body. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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