October Trial for Mother Accused of Killing Children in Surf

SANTA MONICA, Calif (AP) _ A Japanese woman accused of killing her infant daughter and 4-year-old son by drowning them in the surf during a suicide ritual was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on murder charges.

Superior Court Judge Robert Thomas denied a motion to dismiss the case and set an Oct. 21 trial date for Fumiko Kimura, 32, still being held without bail.

Mrs. Kimura pleaded innocent in February to two counts of murder and two counts of child endangerment.

Two college students found the woman floating in the surf Jan. 31 with a child tucked under each arm. The students ran into the surf and pulled the three limp bodies from the water.

Kazutaka, 4, died in the surf a few blocks north of the Santa Monica Pier, police said. The 6-month-old daughter, Yuri, died five days later.

Their mother also was hospitalized following the incident.

Walking into the sea, often carrying a child, is a traditional Japanese method of suicide, called nyusui.

The woman’s husband, Isuroku Kimura, 40, an artist and owner of the Japanese restaurant Tokyo West, was hospitalized after going into shock when informed of the tragedy.

″They were having marital problems,″ Deputy District Attorney Richard Neidorf has said. ″She had called her relatives and told them about marital problems and depression before she walked into the water with the kids.″