THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
May 25, 2023 at 14:29 JST
OSAKA—A man accused of murdering a female university student by lacing her drink with thallium was rearrested on May 24 on suspicion of attempting to murder his aunt with the highly toxic substance.
Kazuki Miyamoto, 37, who resides in Kyoto, has remained silent about the fresh allegations, Osaka prefectural police said.
Miyamoto is believed to have made his aunt, 61, consume thallium in mid-July 2020. She felt unwell, saw a doctor on July 19, 2020, and was hospitalized two days later.
But she developed brain inflammation and has since been in a coma, police said.
Miyamoto accompanied the aunt when she was hospitalized.
A medical institution that treated the aunt kept a sample of her blood. Police tested the blood and detected thallium.
According to prefectural police, Miyamoto became representative director of his aunt’s real estate company in October 2020, around three months after she fell ill.
The company collects around 80 million yen ($570,000) a year from rent.
After Miyamoto became representative director, the company took ownership of properties that were listed in his aunt’s name, police said.
The Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office indicted Miyamoto on March 24 on charges of murdering Hinako Hamano, a 21-year-old student at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, last October.
He is believed to have administered thallium to Hamano when he visited her Kyoto apartment.
Miyamoto told police he had been drinking with Hamano when she suddenly developed a coughing fit. She died on Oct. 15.
A test of her vomit and urine detected thallium.
(This article was written by Eriko Kai and Satoshi Tazoe.)
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Kazuki Miyamoto (Captured from his Facebook account)
