Eiko Nakamura, the owner of three-year-old Japanese restaurant Eiko's in downtown Napa and the former sushi spot Fujiya at the Napa Premium Outlets, was murdered in her home on Saturday. Her ex-husband, whom she still lived with despite their divorce, admitted to the killing, and he left her body where it lay in a bathroom for at least a day, until police arrived at the home on Sunday morning.
Police investigated after receiving a call from a concerned friend who had not seen or heard from Ms. Nakamura since Friday. They found the ex-husband, 71-year-old Shozaburo Nakamura, in the home, and he "immediately admitted to killing the victim" according to police, as the Chronicle reports.
Eiko's had a booth set up at the BottleRock music festival over the weekend which was shut down, along with the restaurant, on Sunday. On the restaurant's Facebook page, a staffer wrote, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our founder Eiko Nakamura, we kindly request privacy until further details are known. RIP Eiko, we will always love you!"
78-year-old Eiko Nakamura opened Eiko's in 2011 with partners Rick and Mike Zaslove after running the successful Fujiya for 24 years. She and her ex-husband had lived in the house where she died for about six years, and neighbors recalled to the Napa Valley Register that they often saw her walking her dog Fuku through the neighborhood, wearing a silly sunhat. Neighbors are now caring for the dog.
It was unclear how recently the couple's marriage had ended.
