Deadly Widow: How a Japanese Woman Allegedly Poisoned Her Husbands for Millions

In October 2025, the case of Chisako Kakehi, the notorious "Black Widow of Japan," continues to captivate the nation. More than a decade after losing her husband of 25 years, Kakehi began a string of relationships with elderly men, all of whom met untimely ends.

In 2007, Kakehi's 78-year-old boyfriend, Toshiaki Suehiro, fell ill shortly after a lunch with Kakehi, though he survived. In 2012, her 71-year-old partner, Masanori Honda, died shortly after spending time with Kakehi. The following year, Kakehi's 75-year-old husband, Minoru Hioki, passed away after dining with her.

Kakehi's final victim was her husband, Isao Kakehi, whom she married in 2013. Just weeks after their wedding, Isao collapsed and died, with an autopsy revealing he had been poisoned with cyanide. Investigators then took a closer look at the previous mysterious deaths and illnesses.

In 2014, Kakehi was arrested for the murders of Isao, Honda, and Hioki, as well as the attempted murder of Suehiro. Prosecutors alleged she made off with around $9 million in insurance payouts and inheritance, though she lost most of it in the financial markets. During her 2017 trial, the then-70-year-old Kakehi confessed to killing Isao, saying she was motivated by "deep hatred" and financial discrimination.

Kakehi was found guilty and sentenced to death, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2021. She died in a detention center in Osaka in December 2024 at the age of 78, leaving behind a twisted legacy of love, greed, and murder.