CHIBA (Kyodo) A 55-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to killing the wife and daughter of the Mabuchi Motor Co. chairman at their home in Chiba Prefecture in a 2002 robbery-murder.
Katsumi Morita, unemployed, admitted breaking into the home, stealing cash and valuables, strangling the two victims and setting fire to the premises on Aug. 5, 2002, during his trial at the Tokyo District Court.
Tetsuo Odajima, 62, his alleged accomplice, is being tried separately.
The two are accused of killing Etsuko Mabuchi, 66, the wife of Takaichi Mabuchi, who at the time was president of Mabuchi Motor, and their daughter, Yuka, 40, at the victims' home in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture.