[All] [2026 Update] What happened in Saki Sudo's trial? Latest summary of acquittal, prison sentence, and inheritance details.

This article provides the latest information on the outcome of Saki Sudo's trial, including her prison sentence and the fate of the "Don Juan of Kishu"'s inheritance. It clearly explains the reasons for her acquittal and key points to watch out for in the future.

 

 

What happened in Saki Sudo's trial? A latest update on the grounds for her acquittal, prison sentence, and the fate of her inheritance.

 

"What happened to Saki Sudo's trial?"
"What is the length of Saki Sudo's prison sentence?"
"What will become of the legacy of the Don Juan of Kishu?"

 

The reason for this sudden increase in searches is the Osaka High Court's second not-guilty verdict on March 23, 2026. This latest ruling has significantly altered perceptions of Saki Sudo. However, the information surrounding her case is quite complex, especially when considering inheritance and how it differs from other cases. This article summarizes the latest court results regarding Saki Sudo, the reasons for her acquittal, whether she will receive a prison sentence, and the fate of the inheritance of the "Don Juan of Kishu," addressing the most frequently searched questions.

 

 

table of contents

1. What happened to Saki Sudo's trial?
2. What is the length of Saki Sudo's prison sentence?
3. What was the reason why Saki Sudo was acquitted?
4. What will become of the legacy of the Don Juan of Kishu?
5. Differences from cases that are often compared
6. summary

 

1. What happened to Saki Sudo's trial?

 

In conclusion, Saki Sudo was acquitted in the appeal trial of the Kishu Don Juan case. Following the Wakayama District Court's first-instance ruling in December 2024, the Osaka High Court upheld the first-instance decision on March 23, 2026, and dismissed the prosecution's appeal.

 

In this case, Kosuke Nozaki died of acute methamphetamine poisoning in Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture in May 2018, and his ex-wife, Saki Sudo, was charged with murder for administering methamphetamine to him. However, the main points of contention in the trial were whether there was direct evidence to prove the crime and whether the possibility that the victim had accidentally ingested the drug could be ruled out.

 

In other words, the current situation is as follows: It is correct to understand that Saki Sudo was acquitted in the appeal trial. Based on the news reports available at this time, the Osaka High Court ruling clearly indicates that the defendant will be found not guilty in the second trial as well.

 

 

2. What is the length of Saki Sudo's prison sentence?

 

This question requires a little caution.
Regarding the Kishu Don Juan case itself, the defendant was acquitted on appeal and therefore no prison sentence was imposed.

 

However, there are reports that Saki Sudo was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison in September 2024 for a separate fraud case. In other words, when searching for "How long is Saki Sudo's prison sentence?", it is more accurate to understand that she received no prison sentence for the Don Juan case, but 3 years and 6 months in prison for the separate fraud case.

 

This point is easily confused, so a quick glance at the search results can easily lead to confusion, such as "Innocent, yet sentenced to imprisonment?" It's important to read and organize the information by case.

 

 

3. What was the reason why Saki Sudo was acquitted?

 

The main reason why Saki Sudo was acquitted was This was because the prosecution's evidence alone was not sufficient to provide the certainty necessary for a guilty verdict. According to media reports, the following points were emphasized in both the first and second trials:

 

There was no direct evidence.

 

In this case, there was no direct evidence showing the murder scene, and the case relied mainly on circumstantial evidence. The court determined that it could not be concluded that "the perpetrator could only be Mr. Sudo" based solely on the motive, search history, and how the methamphetamine was obtained.

 

The possibility that the victim ingested it by mistake could not be ruled out.

 

In the first trial, it was determined that the possibility that Ms. Nozaki had accidentally ingested a lethal dose of methamphetamine could not be completely ruled out. The second trial also viewed this first-instance judgment as not unreasonable.

 

Even in the second trial, progress in adopting new evidence was slow.

 

During the appeal trial, the prosecution submitted new evidence, but according to reports, the court did not accept it, and the proceedings concluded quickly. This sequence of events is seen as one of the reasons why the defendant was acquitted again in the second trial.

 

The Osaka High Court ruled that "it is not easy to administer a lethal dose."

In its ruling on March 23, 2026, the Osaka High Court stated that "it is not easy to administer a lethal dose of methamphetamine without arousing suspicion or unease," and upheld the acquittal from the first instance.

 

 

4. What will become of the legacy of the Don Juan of Kishu?

 

"What will become of the inheritance of the 'Don Juan of Kishu'?" is another topic that is frequently searched in relation to Saki Sudo. According to reports, Kosuke Nozaki had a will stating that he would "donate all his assets to Tanabe City," and in the trial concerning the validity of the will, both the first and second instance courts ruled that the will was valid. The family has appealed to the Supreme Court.

 

What's important here is Legitimate portion If the will is ultimately deemed valid and Saki Sudo is found innocent, she could potentially inherit half of the estate, which is estimated to be over 1.3 billion yen, or more than 650 million yen, as she is entitled to a legal share of the inheritance as the spouse.

 

On the other hand, it has also been explained that if the defendant were found guilty of intentionally causing the death of the deceased, they could lose their inheritance rights due to disqualification. In this case, the defendant was acquitted on appeal, so the fate of the inheritance will be closely tied to the outcome of future will-related lawsuits.

 

 

5. Differences from frequently compared cases

 

Is Iwao Hakamada truly innocent?

 

Yes. In the case of Iwao Hakamada, he was acquitted in a retrial on September 26, 2024, and his acquittal was finalized on October 9 of the same year when the prosecution waived its right to appeal.

 

What happened after the Kudo-kai members were sentenced to death?

 

In the case of Kudo-kai leader Satoru Nomura, the death sentence handed down in the first trial was overturned by the Fukuoka High Court in March 2024 and changed to a life sentence. It has since been reported that he is appealing the decision. In other words, the "aftermath of the death sentence" is that the sentence was changed to life imprisonment in the second trial, and the criminal trial is still awaiting final judgment.

 

Thus, while the cases involving Saki Sudo, Iwao Hakamada, and the Kudo-kai are all high-profile trials, their conclusions and procedural stages are completely different.

 

 

6. Summary

The case involving Saki Sudo began with the death of Kosuke Nozaki in 2018, followed by her arrest and indictment in 2021, an acquittal in the first trial, and another acquittal on appeal on March 23, 2026. The court upheld the acquittal, taking into account the lack of direct evidence, the possibility of accidental ingestion by the victim herself, and the difficulty of proving a lethal dose.

 

On the other hand, she received a 3-year and 6-month prison sentence in a separate fraud case, and confusing these two cases can easily lead to a misunderstanding of the overall picture. Furthermore, the inheritance issue involving over 1.3 billion yen still has unresolved issues regarding the validity of the will and the legal share of the inheritance, and Saki Sudo's acquittal will have a significant impact on the outcome of the inheritance.

 

 

 

 

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