Man Sentenced To 21 Years In Prison For Allegedly Stabbing His Estranged Wife To Death

A man has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for allegedly stabbing his estranged wife to death in 2020 in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

The suspect, Akira Ono, 49, who lived in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, was reportedly in a bitter dispute with his estranged wife Rina, 32, who lived in Inzai, Chiba Prefecture. Ono was allegedly upset over getting custody of their eldest son and felt that his life would be ruined because of his inability to pay child support.

Ono and Rina reportedly got separated two years prior to the victim's disappearance in March 2020. Following Rina's disappearance, the police launched an investigation into the missing person incident and subsequently arrested Ono in November 2020, Japan Today reported.

After officers questioned Ono, he admitted to the police that he had stabbed his wife after having a heated argument with her in her car. During the altercation, Rina allegedly suddenly pulled out a box cutter knife. The two subsequently got into a scuffle over the box cutter with Ono accidentally stabbing Rina in the neck with the blade.

Ono insisted that the stabbing was an accident and denied any intent to kill his estranged wife. He then told the officers that he buried Rina’s body at a beach in Hokota, Ibaraki Prefecture.

However, when the police searched the beach, they were unable to find Rina’s body. After Ono's arrest, the authorities searched his residence and found Rina’s driver’s license and strands of blood-stained hair follicles in his possession. After law enforcement conducted a DNA test, the results confirmed that they belonged to the missing woman.

Meanwhile, the prosecutors said during the trial that the bloodstains that they found in the victim's car, which was found abandoned at a park in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, indicated that a frenzied stabbing took place inside the vehicle.

In a similar but unrelated incident, a man allegedly brutally stabbed his pregnant 17-year-old wife to death before later stripping naked and parading himself through the streets of Helwan City, Egypt, Latin Times reported.

The 27-year-old suspect, who was the husband and also the cousin of the 17-year-old pregnant victim, reportedly knifed his wife to death after she tried to intervene stop him from killing his neighbor. After the violent stabbing, the accused allegedly proceeded to strip naked and parade himself through the streets of Helwan City.

On the day of the murder, the accused reportedly got into a heated argument with his neighbor over unspecified issues. During the confrontation, the accused, in a fit of rage, went back into his home's kitchen to grab a knife with the intention of coming back to stab his neighbor to death. However, when his pregnant wife tried to stop him, he allegedly proceeded to stab her six times in the back and abdomen, killing her instantly.

Following the attack, Helwan police officers responded to the scene after neighbors notified the authorities about the disturbance. The officers then arrested the accused and also obtained the bloodied knife that he had used to kill his wife.