Japan’s ‘Black Widow’ serial killer has lost her final appeal to avoid the death sentence.
Chisako Kakehi was sentenced for murdering three men including a husband with cyanide and was charged with attempted murder of another.
The 74-year-old had earned millions in insurance payouts and inheritance from her four deceased lovers, amassing to one billion yen in payouts of 10 years. She reportedly lost the majority of her fortune through unsuccessful financial trading.
Kakehi’s lawyers appealed the death sentence in 2017, claiming the elderly woman suffered from dementia and does not understand the legal proceedings.
Japan’s Supreme Court rejected the appeal and finalised her death sentence.
Kakehi earned the nicknamed ‘Black Widow’ after the female spider which kills its mates after sex.
Her victims were all aged between 70 and 80 when they were killed between 2007 and 2013. 75-year-old Isao Kakehi died one month after the couple married in 2013.
In other Japanese news, top Japanese footballer Kumi Yokoyama has received praise from President Biden for coming out as transgender.
