A man who killed nine people after being contacted on Twitter has been sentenced to death in a high-profile case that shocked Japan.
Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the “Twitter killer”, was arrested in 2017 after body parts were found in his flat.
The 30-year-old confessed to killing and vandalizing her victims – almost all of whom were young women she met on social media platforms.
This serial murder started the discussion of how online discussion of suicide takes place.
More than 400 people flocked to see the verdict on Tuesday, despite the court having only 16 seats for the public, local media said.
Japan, one of the few developed countries to uphold the death penalty, has increased public support for the death penalty.
How did he find his victims?
Shiraishi lured the women who committed suicide using Twitter at his home, saying they could help them die and, in some cases, claimed he would kill them together.
Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, citing the allegation, said it strangled and released eight women and a man aged 15 to 26 between August and October 2017.
Serial homicides were first uncovered on Halloween that year when police found disfigured body parts in the Jama Shiraishi flat in the city of Jama, near Tokyo.
The Japanese media called it a “home of horror” after nine heads were found in a large number of arm and leg bones in coolers and tool boxes.
What happened at the time of the trial?
The plaintiff sought the death penalty for Shiraishi, who confessed to killing and slaughtering his victims.
But Shiraishi’s lawyers argued he was guilty of a lesser charge of “consensual murder”, and claimed that his victims had allowed him to be killed.
Shiraishi later disputed his own defense team’s version of events, saying he killed without their consent.
“None of the victims consented to the killing,” the judge, who handed down the verdict on Tuesday, said.
“Defendant was found to be fully responsible,” Naokuni Yano said in the Straits Times newspaper.
What was the effect of this case?
Japanese broadcaster NHK According to, the father of a 25-year-old victim told the court last month that he would never forgive Shiraishi even if he died.
“Even now, when I see a woman my daughter’s age, I blame her for my daughter. This pain will never go away. Give it back to me,” he said.
The murder stunned Japan, sparking a new debate about websites discussing suicide. The government at the time indicated it could introduce new rules.
The killings also prompted a change via Twitter, which amended its rules to state users that “suicide or self-harm should not be encouraged or encouraged.”
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