SHIZUOKA (Kyodo) A summary court in Shizuoka Prefecture decided Thursday to extend the detention of a 16-year-old girl by two weeks to conduct further psychiatric examinations related to her alleged attempt to kill her mother with poison, sources said.
With the detention period set to expire Friday, the Numazu Summary Court has accepted a request from prosecutors to extend her detention, according to the sources.
The girl has been in custody since late October on suspicion that she attempted to kill her 48-year-old mother by providing her with thallium. Examinations started in November to determine whether the girl can be held criminally responsible.
Thallium is toxic and often used for rat extermination.
The girl, whose name has been withheld because she is a minor, has denied the allegations.She was a sophomore at a prefectural high school when the allegation came to light, but voluntarily quit dropped out at the end of last year, the sources said.