‘My aunt was a very nice person who often cooked meals for me’, admitted Nobu Taki when questioned about her murder. ‘In fact she was a saint. But our family business was badly strapped for cash and I had to do something!’
The family had an undertaking business and he naturally assumed his rich aunt would choose the family firm for her burial. She had indicated this preference. Unfortunately when she expired so suddenly, the choice was taken from her and her next-of-kin chose a rival firm. Funerals in Japan can cost over $20,000, a sum sufficient to help rescue the family firm.
‘I broke into her house and beat her to death with a golf club. I only did it to protect the honour of our family. I thought that the suicide note that I faked would convince everyone. I see now that I made a basic mistake by signing my own name at the end of it.’
The note fooled the police initially who put the death down to suicide [possibly the most extreme example of self-mutilation they had ever witnessed?]. It was only when some one noticed the Taki funeral service was on the point of bankruptcy that the note was checked again, and Nobu was taken in for questioning.