Former female employee who killed two people at a nursing home…Trouble with parents and separated relatives.

I did not inject air. I did not kill him.

Akama denied the charges against him, stating, “I did not inject air into the body.

On December 10, the Mito District Court heard the first trial of Emi Akama, 39, a former female employee of a nursing home for the elderly, who is charged with murder. According to the indictment, Akama killed two men, A, in his 70s, and B, in his 80s, at a nursing home in Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture, where she worked from May to July 2008. The defendant allegedly injected air into intravenous tubes to prevent blood from circulating.

Akama was found criminally responsible after approximately three months of expert testimony, and was indicted in April ’22. Although there is no direct evidence to support Akama’s involvement, the prosecution pointed out that he was under stress because he did not fit in at work. It is believed that they intend to prove their case with circumstantial evidence.

The defense, on the other hand, claimed that the man died of a heart ailment. The trial will last 85 days, with a wide variety of witnesses, including nursing home personnel and medical experts. Sixty trials are scheduled in all,” said a judicial reporter for a national newspaper.

FRIDAY Digital” has frequently reported on the mysterious case immediately after Akama’s arrest. We would like to introduce the background of the case, including the trouble Akama was having with his relatives.

Voluntary Resignation Immediately

What were you doing?

When questioned by a co-worker about his suspicious behavior, Akama became clumsy. Without a clear explanation, he returned home before work. He left the company voluntarily.

On December 8, 2009, the Ibaraki Prefectural Police arrested Akama. He was suspected of murdering Mr. A, a resident of the nursing home where he worked, in the early afternoon on July 6 of the previous year. Mr. A was in good health, but his condition suddenly deteriorated, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital where he was taken.

At the time, Mr. A was sleeping in a bed in a room for four. Akama is suspected of injecting a large amount of air into a vein using an empty syringe from an intravenous drip tube attached to Mr. A’s leg. The bizarre behavior was witnessed by a colleague.

When Akama was questioned by his colleagues, he immediately resigned voluntarily, perhaps thinking it was a bad idea. The facility demanded an explanation from Akama, but could not get a satisfactory answer, so they consulted the police. The police interviewed the staff and the hospital where Ms. A was taken, leading to the arrest of Akama.

Akama obtained her nursing license about 15 years before the incident. She had worked as a nurse at hospitals in Saitama and Tochigi prefectures, but worked as a care worker at the facility where the incident occurred. She was not in a position to handle intravenous drips or syringes.

Akama began working at the facility in the spring of ’20. She had a bright and friendly personality and was well received by her acquaintances. I heard that she woke up early to make lunch boxes for her husband, whom she married in November of the previous year.

Two possible motives for the crime

While she had a good reputation, she also had a lot of family troubles.

She said, “In the beginning, she lived with her married husband’s parents. However, there were frequent problems, such as cash going missing from her parents’ wallets. Family relations deteriorated, and she separated from her parents in the summer of 2009.

Mr. A was not the only case in which Akama was arrested for murder. In May 2008, he was taken into police custody for taking the life of Mr. B, who was in an institution, using a similar method.

What was the motive? Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Taihei Ogawa tells us.

The suspect is a licensed nurse. He must have known what would happen if he injected a large amount of air. This was no mere prank. I sense a clear intent to kill. There are two possible motives: one is a personal grudge against the victim. The other is probably a strong dissatisfaction with the facility in terms of salary, work schedule, etc. Naturally, the victim’s dissatisfaction is not the reason for the murder.

Of course, dissatisfaction is not a reason to commit murder. This case was committed in a near-clandestine environment. It is difficult to obtain direct evidence. I think the prosecution intends to pile up circumstantial evidence to give the impression to the judge that no one but the defendant could have committed the murder.

The trial will be lengthy, and the verdict is scheduled to be handed down on July 7, 2014.