A 15-year-old boy who has been arrested on suspicion of killing an 84-year-old woman in Chiba City on Sunday told police “I targeted someone weaker than me so I could go to a juvenile detention center.”
Police said the boy told them he felt that he was in a complicated family environment and was growing increasingly dissatisfied, NHK reported. Police said the boy had been having trouble with classmates at school and has a history of delinquent behavior. He had also run away from home once.
The boy told police he wanted to kill someone, and it did not matter who, so that he could get away from his home. He said he saw Takahashi walking along the street at around 5:10 p.m. Sunday and followed her.
A passerby called 110 and said that an elderly woman was lying on her side on the street in Wakaba Ward, unconscious and bleeding from a wound in her back and from the side of her head.
The woman, Yayoi Takahashi, was taken to hospital but died about 90 minutes after arrival. It is believed that she and the boy did not know each other.
Police detained the boy, who lives near the scene of the crime, for voluntary questioning on Monday morning and arrested him in the afternoon. He surfaced as a suspect after police examined surveillance camera footage taken near the scene of the crime.
The scene of the stabbing is in a residential area about one kilometer east of Tsuga Station on the JR Sobu Main Line.
Visitors to the crime scene on Tuesday placed flowers and offered prayers. A man who knew Takahashi said, "I can't help but feel sorry for her. Her husband must be going through a difficult time. I'm really angry.”
© Japan Today
25 Comments
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SDCA
I know I'll be downvoted for this, but I am really glad we do not have guns in Japan. I can't imagine all these random stabbings, violence, murder cases being replaced by a tool that can end a person or multiple persons life at once.
I hope the widower of this lovely lady is able to get justice by having this punk face trial as an adult and locked up in a non-juvenile prison. Nobody should get away with murder.
Bobby Franks
I’m in full agreement, so I’ll gladly upvote you!
commanteer
Normally, I would say lock him up and throw the key away. A horrible crime. But the boy is 15 and sounds mentally broken. His circumstances at home might be quite awful as well. Perhaps he can't be redeemed, but I wouldn't rule it out. Need to know more about his circumstances first.
Tokyo Guy
Normally, I would say lock him up and throw the key away. A horrible crime. But the boy is 15 and sounds mentally broken. His circumstances at home might be quite awful as well. Perhaps he can't be redeemed, but I wouldn't rule it out. Need to know more about his circumstances first.
I once saw a post by a practicing lawyer who said that a justice system has to balance punishment with the possibility of rehabilitation / redemption. As this kid is 15, even if he gets a long sentence (and I'm not saying he doesn't deserve one), he'll still be comparatively young when it ends, and if there is no effort made to transform him into someone who can live in society without being a threat to others, then the time spent incarcerated achieved less than it could have.
At that age, he probably also doesn't fully grasp the ramifications of what he has done, and it will be with him for the rest of his life.
It's a pretty awful situation all around.
Bobby Franks
That’s similar to what I suggested the other day.
This kid is only 15 years old, so let’s hope this youth can be radically reformed/transformed into a noble empathetic citizen who values life. If it can be done anywhere, Japan is likely the place.
Let’s additionally pray the older woman’s family members can eventually release their sadness, anger, and disbelief and focus on the positive effect her life had on others.
JDoe
Women & children the predominate victims os violent crime in Japan. Male male violent crime is uncommon. Hopefully this POS goes to prison for LIFE.
quercetum
Mental care in dire need. When I was 12 I once didn’t like the way a cat hissed at me and so I threw rocks at it to shoo it away but never thought of killing it.
Just imagine if guns were allowed in Japan?
Hello Kitty 321
No need to imagine, just look at America
Garthgoyle
A good 15 years in jail would fit him well.
SDCA
@Chikatilo
Hey I get it. I'm not saying the US needs to follow Japan's steps and I get why citizens have their rights. I'm just stating I'm glad that when I walk around in Japan and some random unstable person decides to choose me as their target, it is relief knowing that 99% of the time they will not carry a tool that can easily take my life or others around me in an instant.
And I agree we should address the root cause, but that is far more difficult to do than to say. Identifying those with mental instability will be a tedious process and you may be able to prevent future incursions, but you won't be able to prevent all of them.
OssanAmerica
This could have been accomplished without actually killing some innocent person.
nandakandamanda
Some kids are born problematical.
Some develop problems growing out of their particular circumstances; these ones are more likely to be good candidates for rehabilitation.
Ricky Kaminski13
Never fear strong people, they will never give you a problem. In fact they will be an asset to anyone they meet.
It’s the weak ones that should give you the shivers.
ian
Bullying is a big problem here in Japan.
You mean it's the weak who are bullying the strong?
WA4TKG
Of course he did, like all the rest, but he actually admitted to it
oldman_13
More signs of breakdown in society, young pre-teens and teens with no sense of morals and committing random and heinous crimes publicly.
Hercolobus
Try him as an adult
Speed
If you want to go to jail and be taken out of your frustrating family and school life environment, don't go and kill someone and take away their one and only life. Walk into a koban and put a knife to a cop and threaten him or make a bomb threat at a bank or an airport.
elephant200
The Japanese education system over children were having a very big flaw especially over the conducts of young people. I don't think he is mentally handicapped from his answer of why he committed murder over an elderly woman!
Aly Rustom
Very true Ricky. And even though you and I have differed on many issues, you've always stayed a gentleman. There is something about weak people that makes them want to lash out so your second comment rings very true.
Aly Rustom
Very true.
You bring up an excellent point Ian. But I would probably argue that it's the weak preying on those even weaker.
u_s__reamer
There must be a psychosis somewhere in this boy's brain. He will need long-term treatment. Much more attention (and money) must be given to the mental health of stressed-out children (and parents) in Japan's neurotic rat-race society.
TokyoLiving
Send that pathetic coward scumbag to gallows!!!..
Ricky Kaminski13
Weak ( minded ) people bully other weak ones.
John
I hope he is never let back into society.