Tokyo Couple Served Fresh Arrest Warrants over Family Murder

Tokyo, Nov. 22 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo police served fresh arrest warrants Friday to a couple accused of killing family members using antifreeze, this time on suspicion of murdering the husband's mother by employing the same killing method.

Kenichi Hosoya, 43, and his wife, Shiho, 38, were served arrest warrants for the fourth time, following cases over the deaths of their second daughter, the husband's father and his sister.

The duo, who operated a "ryokan" Japanese-style inn at Tokyo's Asakusa district, have remained silent, people familiar with the investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Police believe the Hosoyas killed family members in order to take over the management of the ryokan, and that the murder of Kenichi's 68-year-old mother, Yaeko, was linked to the bad relationship between her and Shiho.

For the latest arrest, the couple are suspected of making Yaeko ingest ethylene glycol, which is used as antifreeze for car engines, from around August 2017 and killing her on Jan. 21, 2018.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]