According to Japanese media reports, on December 15, the Ritsukawa Branch of the Tokyo District Court rendered a first-instance judgment against Takahiro Shiraishi, a suspect in the "Zama Special Dalian Ring Murder Case" that shocked Japan. Presiding judge Naobu Yano handed down a death sentence at the request of the procuratorate.
Naobu Yano said that "his actions are extremely evil in the history of crime" and held Thatoshi Takahiro Shiraishi fully responsible. Takahiro Shiraishi said at the trial that "there will be no appeal."
↑ In the discussion attended by the victim's family, most of the family members demanded the death penalty of Takahiro Shiraishi (middle in the back row) According to Bunkharu Weekly
Presiding Judge: Cunning, despicable, cruel
On December 15, the day of the first instance judgment, the courtroom of the Ritsukawa Branch of the Tokyo District Court was crowded with people who came to observe, according to Japan's Bunchun Weekly magazine. The court originally had only 16 ordinary auditoriums, with a total of 435 people. Takahiro Shiraishi appeared in court wearing a green prison coat and a mask.
When he sat in the defendant's seat, presiding judge Naobu Yano began to read out the reasons for the verdict. The reasons for the verdict were increasingly inclined to sentence him to death, which made everyone in the audience nervous. Finally, Judge Naobu Yano read out the final verdict of the "death penalty."
In an interview, the presiding judge of the case, Naobu Yano, spoke about the reasons for the death sentence, according to The Bunchun Weekly. He said: "First of all, the result of the murder in this case is extremely significant. Nine young men and women were brutally killed by the killer, and 8 of them (including minors) were sexually assaulted by the killer. ”
In addition, Yano Naobu also said: "The murderer's method of committing the crime is extremely cruel. After killing the 9 young men and women, he carried out a brutal dismemberment. Some parts of the body were thrown away as garbage, and some were put into air-conditioners with cat litter. This is a violation of the dignity of the deceased and has aroused the strongest anger from the families of the victims. It is understood that in the discussions attended by the victims' families, 5 of the 6 groups of victims' families demanded that Shiraishi Takahiro be sentenced to death.
In response to Shiraishi Takahiro's criminal behavior, Yano Naobu used words such as "cunning, despicable, and highly harmful" to describe it. He said: "The killer posted on social media that he wanted to commit suicide to attract the attention of women who had the idea of taking a life. The murderer then tricked them into renting an apartment and, while listening to their troubles, persuaded them to drink and take medicine. Subsequently, various heinous criminal acts were committed against them. ”
↑Japanese people spontaneously mourn near the place where the victims were killed According to Bunkchun Weekly
It is understood that Shiraishi Takahiro's defense lawyers had claimed that he had committed a lesser charge of "consenting to murder", claiming that the victims had allowed them to be killed. But later Shiraishi refuted his own defense team's account of the incident and said he killed without their consent.
During the trial, Judge Naobu Yano told Takahiro Shiraishi: "If you want to appeal, please submit an application to the Tokyo District Court within two weeks of the verdict being decided." Shiraishi Takahiro was silent and did not respond.
Later, the procuratorate asked Shiraishi Takahiro, "Are you afraid of the death penalty?" He replied, "Scared." However, he added that "there will be no appeal" on the grounds that "there is no desire to cause distress and trouble to the victim's family.".
The serial killings shocked Japan and made Twitter change the rules
Japan's suicide rate has declined since preventive measures were taken more than a decade ago, but there are signs that there is a tendency for suicide rates to rise again in recent years.
According to previous reports by the Japanese media, Takahiro Shiraishi has been attracting the attention of women who want to commit suicide through Twitter posts. Later, he tricked the women into their homes in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Between August and October 2017, he strangled and dismembered a total of eight women and one man between the ages of 15 and 26.
The serial killer first came to light on Halloween that year, when police found part of the dismembered body in his apartment, when they were looking for a missing 23-year-old woman who was one of the victims. After she disappeared, her brother visited her Twitter account and alerted the police to a suspicious clue, who traveled to Takahiro Shiraishi's residence on the morning of October 31, 2017.
The case of the mega-ring homicide reportedly shocked Japan, sparking a new debate about suicide and how to help suicidal people, as well as discussions about suicide sites. Because it is widely quoted in social networks, it has caused great anxiety in society.
The murder also prompted Twitter to make a change. The company revised the rules to stipulate that users should not "promote or encourage suicide or self-harm." Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey called the case "extremely pathetic."
Red Star News reporter Luo Tian
Edited by Zhang Xun