A Japanese man dubbed the “Twitter killer” was on Tuesday sentenced to death by a Tokyo court for murdering and dismembering nine people he met on the social media platform.
Takahiro Shiraishi, 30, admitted killing and butchering his young victims, all but one of whom were women.
His lawyers had argued he should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed, because his victims, aged 15 to 26, expressed suicidal thoughts on social media and “so had consented to die.”
Photo: Masato Yamashita / Jiji Press / AFP
However, a judge dismissed that argument and handed down the death penalty over the 2017 crimes, which he called “cunning and cruel,” Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK) said.
“None of the nine victims consented to be killed, including silent consent,” NHK quoted the judge as saying. “It is extremely grave that the lives of nine young people were taken away.”
The judge added that the case, which prompted calls for tighter control on social networks, “provoked great anxiety in society.”
The grisly murders attracted international attention, and the case has been followed closely in Japan, with 435 people reportedly turning up to secure one of 16 available public seats.
When asked if the verdict was audible, Shiraishi, wearing a white mask, stood still and only said: “I understood.”
Family members of the victims have spoken emotionally of their continued pain over the case, with the brother of a 25-year-old woman killed by Shiraishi saying that his “heart died” when he heard the murderer’s testimony.
“It felt like I was being hurt with a sharp knife over and over again,” he said.
The woman’s father last month said in court that he “will never forgive Shiraishi even if he dies,” local media reported at the time.
“Even now, when I see a woman of my daughter’s age, I mistake her for my daughter. This pain will never go away,” he said.
Shiraishi targeted his victims on Twitter, contacting users who posted about taking their own lives and telling them he could help them in their plans.
He was detained three years ago by police investigating the case of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly written on Twitter about wanting to kill herself.
After she went missing, her brother gained access to her Twitter account, and noticed a suspicious handle, leading them to Shiraishi’s residence, where they uncovered a house of horrors on the morning of Oct. 1, 2017.
Nine dismembered bodies — with as many as 240 bone parts stashed in coolers and toolboxes — had been sprinkled with cat litter in a bid to hide the evidence.
Shiraishi has admitted the crimes, telling the court last month: “I’m ready to admit my guilt and incur the punishment without appealing to a high court.”
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