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JAPAN: APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS 'BLACK WIDOW' DEATH SENTENCE
May 26, 2019: A Japanese court on 24 May 2019 upheld the death sentence for a woman dubbed the "Black Widow", who used cyanide to kill a string of elderly and rich lovers and pocketed millions in insurance payouts and inheritance.
The Osaka High Court rejected an appeal by Chisako Kakehi, 72, to overturn her sentence of death by hanging for the murder of three men -- including a husband -- and the attempted murder of another.
The court "turned down the appeal" made by defence lawyers, according to a spokesman.
Handing down the death sentence in 2017, presiding judge Ayako Nakagawa said the murders were "cunning and malicious" and Kakehi made her victims drink cyanide "with a murderous intention."
The judge rejected defence arguments that she was not criminally liable because she was suffering from dementia. (Sources: Afp, 24/05/2019)
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