Chang Chih-yang (張志揚), the primary suspect in the murder of two female Taiwanese students in Tokyo on Thursday, committed suicide in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japanese police confirmed last night.
Chang killed himself by slashing his neck with a knife, the Metropolitan Police Department told a press conference at 9pm in Tokyo.
Police said Chang died of blood loss as he was being rushed to hospital.
Photo: CNA
Chang was uninjured when he was arrested by police officers and taken in a police car to a nearby station for questioning.
After getting out of the car, Chang took out a concealed knife and slashed his throat, police said, not commenting on why the suspect had not been searched and was not handcuffed.
On Sunday, the 30-year-old Chang was put on the wanted list after police obtained a warrant for his arrest in connection with the stabbing death of 23-year-old Lin Chih-ying (林芷瀅) and 25-year-old Julia Chu (朱立婕) in an apartment building in Tokyo’s Taito Ward, which is used by students at the Intercultural Institute of Japan’s language school.
The two women were found covered in blood on Thursday morning, one inside her bedroom and the other in the doorway. One of the women died at the scene, while the other died a short time later after being rushed to a hospital.
Police said Chang was spotted in security camera footage near the murder site about one hour prior to the estimated time of the attack, adding that they also made a match between a bloodstain at the crime scene and blood found in his room.
Chang, who is said to have been fond of Lin, reportedly told an acquaintance that she had been acting coldly toward him, police said earlier yesterday.
The Metropolitan Police Department enhanced its personnel deployment in the Kansai area to track down Chang’s location because he had told his roommates that he had gone to Osaka and his cellphone signal had been detected in Nagoya.
Chang’s father, who said last night that he had learned of his son’s death from television reports, is expected to head to Japan today.
Additional reporting by Staff Writer
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