A Japanese businessman who reportedly committed suicide in a Los Angels jail after his extradition on charges related to his wife's murder suffered wounds before his death, his lawyer said Monday.
Kazuyoshi Miura, 61, was found dead at a Los Angeles Police Department jail on Oct. 10. Police said he hanged himself with a T-shirt less than a day after he was returned to Los Angeles to stand trial for his wife's murder.
Mark Geragos, the lawyer, said choking and beating wounds were found on Miura's body when an independent pathologist examined the body.
The lawyer also said his client, who was accused of killing his wife in Los Angeles in 1981, did not leave a suicide note, even though he was a prolific writer and blogger.
While the Los Angeles County coroner's office said it has yet to issue its findings in the death of Miura, Geragos criticized the office for not re-examining Miura's body in light of the new findings.
Miura's case has long been a high-profile story in Japan, where the businessman was dubbed "the Japanese O.J. Simpson."
Miura was accused of plotting the murder of his wife Kazumi, who was 28 when she was shot dead in November 1981 while the couple was visiting Los Angeles. Authorities said the husband conspired the murder for collecting life insurance payments.
U.S. authorities failed to extradite Miura while he was living in Japan. Miura was convicted in Japan of murder in 1994, but the verdict was overturned later.
Miura was arrested in Saipan, a U.S. territory, in February when he was visiting there. He was flown to Los Angeles earlier this month to stand the trial.
Source:Xinhua
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