Prosecutors demanded a five-year prison term Monday for a Kyoto man accused of pushing his father into the path of a moving vehicle as part of a "suicide" plot hatched to repay debts with the victim's life insurance benefits.
Daiichiro Nakajima, 39, is charged with pushing his father, Noboru, 68, onto a street in Shimogyo Ward in front of an oncoming vehicle in the early hours of March 9, 2003, claiming the father's life.
"It is clear from the testimony of a witness that the accused pushed his father in the back. It is outrageous that he attempted to obtain money in exchange for the life of his own father," prosecutors said in a statement to the Kyoto District Court.
Nakajima has maintained his innocence since the trial opened in September, claiming he never shoved his father onto the street or helped him commit suicide.
According to prosecutors, Nakajima incurred debts after his insurance agency ran into financial trouble.
He allegedly consulted his father, and they plotted a scheme in which the father would kill himself but make it look like he was killed in a traffic accident, so the son would be able to repay the debts with the insurance benefits.
Kyoto Prefectural Police initially arrested Nakajima and two other members of his family on suspicion of murder.