WAKAYAMA – Saki Sudo, a 28-year-old widow, was found not guilty Thursday by the Wakayama District Court in the 2018 death of her husband, 77-year-old Kosuke Nozaki, a wealthy businessman known as the “Don Juan of Kishu.” Nozaki died from a drug overdose, and prosecutors had accused Sudo of deliberately killing him to claim his inheritance of approximately ¥1.3 billion.
The court ruled that there was reasonable doubt in the case, as the prosecution had only presented circumstantial evidence. Sudo had admitted that she married Nozaki for his wealth but denied any involvement in his death. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for her, but the court determined there was not enough evidence to prove she was responsible for Nozaki’s death.