Miura had been held in Saipan since February on a U.S. warrant for murder and conspiracy, but a judge had ruled that trying him for murder in California would constitute double jeopardy, as he had been cleared of the murder charges in Japan in 1994. He was brought to Los Angeles Friday morning, and was to be arraigned Tuesday, but instead hung himself with a piece of his shirt, police said.
"I'm shocked," his attorney, Mark Geragos said. "One of my lawyers was with him for 12 hours yesterday and he seemed in good spirits. He was looking forward to fighting this." Geragos was informed of the death Saturday morning by prosecutors.
The couple was vacationing in Los Angeles when they were fired upon, allegedly at Miura's signal. Miura was struck in the leg, while his wife, Kazumi Miura, 28, was shot in the head. She was not killed immediately, but in fact survived for a year before dying in Japan. Prosecutors allege that he hired an assassin in order to collect on an approximately $750,000 life insurance policy. A shooter has not been found.
