Missing Son Is Accused of Killing Businessman

The missing son of a slain Japanese businessman was accused Tuesday of killing his father with a knife after luring him into a death trap.

Toru (Chris) Sakai, 21, of Tarzana was arrested in December in connection with his father’s April death but was released without charges being filed. The body of Takashi (Glenn) Sakai, 54, was found Feb. 10, riddled with stab wounds in a shallow grave by Malibu Canyon Road north of the Pacific Coast Highway.

The father, a wealthy Beverly Hills consultant to Japanese businesses trying to invest in the United States, had been missing since April 20 of last year. His estranged wife, Sanae Sakai, 51, was arrested Feb. 25 on suspicion of murdering Sakai, and police had been looking for the son.

According to the charges filed against Chris Sakai, he and another man identified as Greg Meier looked for a site to bury the elder Sakai on April 10, 1987, along Malibu Canyon Road. The next day, authorities said, Meier, who Deputy Dist. Atty. Lonnie A. Felker said is a witness not facing any charges, rented a pick, and Meier and Chris Sakai drove back to the site and dug the grave.

While Meier waited inside, Chris Sakai lured his father to a vacant home in Beverly Hills on April 20 and killed him with a knife, according to the criminal complaint filed against the son.

If convicted, Chris Sakai could face the death penalty.