Wealthy Business Man Suspect for Murdering a College Student by Poisoning Her With Thallium

‘She coughed violently and seems to be in poor health.’

It was the morning of October 12 last year when the man contacted the woman’s mother. When the parents rushed to the woman’s apartment, she was conscious but unable to stop coughing. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead three days later on October 15. The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by highly toxic thallium poisoning.

Thallium is a deleterious substance previously used as a rat poison and pesticide; just one gram of thallium in the body is enough to cause death in an adult. Thallium has been used in murders in the past, so it is now strictly regulated and difficult to obtain. The police were interviewing the man who was with the deceased woman on a voluntary basis,” said a reporter from the society section of a national newspaper.

Golf practice immediately after the incident?

The man who was with the woman. On March 3, the Osaka Prefectural Police’s Investigation Section 1 will arrest Kazuki Miyamoto, 37, of Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, who runs a real estate company, on suspicion of murder. The suspect and Hinako Hamano, then 21, a junior at Ritsumeikan University, had been drinking together at an upscale bar in Kyoto City on October 11 last year, just before the incident.

The suspect Miyamoto, in addition to his real estate business, was engaged in the business of organizing maiko (apprentice geisha) events for tourists visiting Kyoto. He had also purchased a teahouse in one of Kyoto’s five flower districts. Ms. Hamano worked as a staff member for events held by the suspect Miyamoto; the two were very close and frequently dined together at a fancy restaurant.

The suspect’s business was generally doing well, although there were times when it was difficult due to the new coronavirus. Miyamoto’s home was located in an upscale residential area in Kyoto City, where several foreign cars, including a Mercedes Benz, were parked. His family is very wealthy and he is a well-known figure in the Kyoto tourism industry. He is quiet and soft-spoken. It is said that Miyamoto had a wife and children.

On the other hand, Mr. Hamano went to Ritsumeikan University from a high school in Osaka City and lived alone. She liked manga and wanted to become an illustrator.

Many people thought she was dating Miyamoto. Just before the incident, they went to Ms. Hamano’s home after eating and drinking together. In response to Ms. Hamano’s sudden change in health, Miyamoto told the suspect in an interview before his arrest. After drinking, Mr. Hamano started coughing. I bought some medicine at a pharmacy and gave it to him. In fact, security cameras showed Miyamoto going to the pharmacy alone.

As for why he did not call 119, he said, “Because Mr. Hamano refused to do so. The police determined that Miyamoto somehow forced Hamano to ingest thallium and killed her. It is believed that he delayed treatment and pretended to care for her. Immediately after the incident, there were reports that he went to a golf driving range. The suspect Miyamoto has remained silent since his arrest.

According to Ms. Hamano’s parents, she had various plans and had no reason to commit suicide. No thallium was found in Ms. Hamano’s home. The police believe that the suspect Miyamoto brought the Thallium from an outside source, and are investigating the detailed route of acquisition of the Thallium and the motive for the crime.