A 33-year-old woman pleaded guilty Thursday to killing and dismembering her husband last December but claimed the act was triggered by vicious and persistent domestic violence during their three-year marriage.
Kaori Mihashi, who was arrested in January for killing her husband, Yusuke, and dumping his body parts around Tokyo, owned up to the charges during her first trial session at the Tokyo District Court. Asked by a judge if she objected to any of the charges, she replied, "No."
But her attorneys disclosed in their opening statement that Mihashi had endured constant physical abuse from her husband, including a beating in June 2005 that left her with a broken nose, damaged facial tissue and a bruised face.