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Prosecutors in Chiba Prefecture have decided to have a 65-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of killing her 67-year-old husband and their 32-year-old son by setting fire to their house, undergo a three-month psychiatric evaluation.
Toshiko Ohashi has admitted to setting fire to the house in Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, at around 6:30 a.m. on Nov 17, Fuji TV reported. Her husband Yoshio and her son Yoshihito were both bedridden.
A neighbor who saw flames coming from the two-story wooden house called 119. It took firefighters about an hour to extinguish the blaze. The bodies of Yoshio and Yoshihito were found on the second floor.
Toshiko suffered minor burns. After her arrest, she told police she was worn out from looking after her husband and son, and that her husband, who had suffered a stroke, had been telling her recently that he wanted to die.
Prosecutors said they will wait for the results of the psychiatric evaluation, which will last until March 11, before determining if Ohashi can be held criminally responsible for her act.
© Japan Today
9 Comments
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Hokkaidoboy
I support the psychiatric evaluation. I will be honest, I am a 29-year-old man with autism, and I do truly hate when lawyers use the autistic (or any other mental disorder) defense, as I do believe that most mentally ill/developmental disadvantaged person are not dangerous, myself included, I would never harm a fly.
BUT, some cases, the red flag of mental conditions are truly influencing in the actions of a human being, and without passing evaluation (I could not, I'm not a psychiatrist), I just only guess that this woman was stressed to skyrocketed levels, due to have to take care of two close relatives who could not live a normal life.
Taking care of her husband and son for who knows how long may have affected her emotionally deeply and I do truly believe, as I said, that cases of extreme stress and trauma can trigger these actions.
I hope some conclusion can be reached in this very, very, sad case for a 65-year-old woman.
PS: My position on the mental health defense varies by case. In this case, I believe it's worth an evaluation.
Jonathan Prin
No help from Japanese society, no exit door else the end.
Simple to understand.
Where will you find support when there is no available resources left ?
Posting on JT will not provide you with a competent care personel needed for several years, outside rich enough.
That is reality.
bokuda
The only evidence is the forced confession without lawyers.
serendipitous1
Even if the husband told his wife he wanted to die, one would think he didn't mean be burned to death.
Zaphod
No matter what the psychiatric evaluation shows, this woman should not be lose in society. Burning people to death is just about the most cruel thing one can do; while I have some understanding for the concept of mercy killing, this definitely does not fit the bill.
Newgirlintown
She was an empowered woman!
smithinjapan
Newgirlintown: "She was an empowered woman!"
Now THAT's a euphemism for 'murder' I haven't heard yet.
ReynardFox
I dunno. Something seems fishy. If her husband expressed a wish to die, I highly doubt “being burned alive” would have been his preferred method. I could think of a dozen easier and more humane ways to go. When someone commits murder-by-arson, it’s generally because they hope the fire will destroy evidence and appear accidental. Her state goal and the methods she used just don’t seem to jive.