MITO, Ibaraki Pref. (Kyodo) The counsel for a convicted double-murderer on death row accused of also killing a company president for insurance money in Ibaraki Prefecture in 2000 told a court Monday the defendant only abetted what they called the victim's suicide.

Ryoji Goto, 50, a senior underworld figure, is on trial at the Mito District Court accused of murdering Hiroshi Kuriyama, 67, in August 2000. He allegedly pressured Kuriyama, who had cirrhosis of the liver, to drink vodka on several occasions.