A Japanese woman on death row died while awaiting execution.
Miyuki Ueta, 49, who was convicted in the 2009 killings and robberies of two men, choked to death while eating prison food in her cell at Hiroshima Detention Center last Saturday (January 14), according to the Japan Times (h/t the New York Post).
The incident took place at around 4:20 p.m. local time. Ueta reportedly lost consciousness while eating and was rushed to a hospital, where she was confirmed dead at around 6:55 p.m., according to the Justice Ministry.
Ueta was reportedly taking medication for multiple illnesses at the time of her death and had previously collapsed during a meal last Tuesday (January 10). The Hiroshima Detention Center currently has 105 inmates on death row following Ueta's death.
Ueta was convicted in the deaths of truck driver Kazumi Yabe, 47, and store owner Hideki Maruyama, 57, with her death sentence being finalized by the Supreme Court after it upheld rulings from lower courts in July 2017. The court ruled that she had committed premeditated and "cruel crimes based on firm intentions to kill" and that she beared "grave criminal responsibility."
Ueta was convicted of using sleeping pills to drug and drown Yabe in April 2009 and Maruyama in October 2009, both of whom she owed money to.