MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — A former Misawa Air Base airman was arrested Friday in connection with the murder of his Japanese former wife, whose body was found in July in the trunk of a burned car on Hachinohe railroad tracks.

William Scott Omari McAllister, 25, unemployed with no fixed address, was arrested at 2:17 p.m. on suspicion of damaging and disposing of the body of Naomi Kimura, 33.

A Hachinohe police official said Friday that McAllister is suspected of putting Kimura’s body in the trunk and burning the car.

Investigators also suspect that McAllister killed his former wife, according to a Friday story in Kyodo News.

Police on Friday also arrested McAllister’s girlfriend, Ai Moriyama, 29, of Misawa city for allegedly giving false statements to police and helping McAllister evade arrest by giving a false alibi for him, officials said.

Both suspects deny the allegations, according to Kyodo News, quoting police sources.

McAllister was arrested in August on suspicion of using an illegally obtained credit card to buy a car navigation system in February 2006. He is currently being tried for fraud at Aomori District Court in Hachinohe.

Kimura, who lived in Misawa, owned a downtown bar called Purple Haze that was frequented by non-Japanese.

According to Kyodo News, McAllister worked at Misawa Air Base until December 2005 and married Kimura last April. They divorced two months later, but McAllister continued to serve as a bartender at the bar after the divorce.

Kimura’s body was found July 21, 2006, in the trunk of a burned car abandoned on railway tracks on the outskirts of Hachinohe. An autopsy indicated Kimura had neck injuries, according to Kyodo News, quoting police sources.

Base officials could not be reached for comment Friday night.

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