More than two weeks after the arrest of 25-year-old Saki Sudo on suspicion of murdering her wealthy older husband — an author who dubbed himself the “Don Juan of Kishu,” the former name of the Wakayama area — police have yet to reveal whether the suspect has admitted to the charges.

While investigators say they have circumstantial evidence against her, no witnesses have come forward and their time to build a case is running short due to an apparent lack of clear evidence. Prosecutors face a May 19 deadline by which time they must either formally charge Sudo or release her. That deadline cannot be extended.

Kosuke Nozaki, who was 77 at the time of his death, was a self-made billionaire who owned a liquor sales company and real estate business. He achieved brief fame in 2016 when, in his autobiography, he claimed to have given ¥3 billion to 4,000 women. In a follow-up 2018 book, Nozaki said he met Sudo, who described herself as a fashion model. Nozaki married the 22-year-old Sudo in February of that year, promising to give her a monthly allowance of ¥1 million.