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Prosecutors Order Forensic Detention of Suspect in 1999 Nagoya Killing

The psychiatric evaluation will determine criminal responsibility at the time of the slaying and guide potential charges.

Overview

  • Kumiko Yasufuku, 69, arrested late last month, is accused of fatally stabbing Namiko Takaha, 32, in a Nagoya apartment on November 13, 1999.
  • Police are examining whether a June 1999 high‑school alumni gathering where the suspect reconnected with the victim’s husband served as a trigger and are re‑interviewing people who attended.
  • According to investigators, the suspect initially admitted the charge and said she had feelings for the husband and disliked his views on women and childrearing, then later became less cooperative.
  • Nagoya prosecutors began forensic detention on November 14, keeping the duration undisclosed, and the evaluation pauses the prior custody deadline set for November 21.
  • The husband says they were former soft‑tennis teammates who briefly reconnected at the reunion and did not interact afterward, leaving why the victim was targeted unresolved.