Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for a 39-year-old man over the murder and robbery a 79-year-old woman and her 51-year-old son at their home in Usa City, Oita Prefecture, in 2020.
According to the indictment against Shoichi Sato, he is accused of breaking into the home of Takako Yamana, a farmer, on February 2, 2020, Kyodo News reported. The defendant allegedly stabbed her and her son, Hiroyuki, who worked as a postal worker, in the neck with a kitchen knife and scissors multiple times. The two bled to death. Sato is also accused of stealing 88,000 yen in cash.
The house showed no signs of a struggle; however there were muddy shoe prints in the house, leading police to believe the killer entered through an unlocked window.
Sato surfaced as a suspect after an analysis of street surveillance camera footage showed him outside the house and his car in the vicinity of the house around the time of the crime.
During the opening session Monday of his lay judge trial at the Oita District Court, Sato denied the charges against him.
Prosecutors said that Takako Yamana’s DNA was found in Sato’s car which they claim came from a blood-stained sock that Sato wore during the crime.
© Japan Today
17 Comments
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Fighto!
I see no other option than to end this evil man - once he is convicted. The taxpayer should not have to pay to keep him alive for possibly three more decades. He has forfeited all rights to be fed, sheltered and looked after.
Rest in Peace to the poor mother and son.
MiuraAnjin
The police and prosecutors are not above planting evidence. If all they’ve got is “DNA from a blood stained sock in his car” and the standard euphemism for “his SIM card was in the area” then I wouldn’t hope for the death penalty.
Marlon Brando
Murder is not the solution to murder.
V Campbell
Death row and execution costs are higher.
Yes, if you keep him on death row for decade after decade like America does. If you execute him in the next 6-12 months, it's MUCH cheaper. A win-win.
falseflagsteve
A horrendous act of evil that would shock Satan himself. Hope justice is served, however I m against the death penalty.
shogun36
Good. The quicker and more painful the better.
NOMINATION
Which would you choose- death penalty for this guy or him moving in with you?
TokyoLiving
Well deserved death penalty..
TokyoLiving
Without death penalty would be more murders..
Strangerland
Not if they're imprisoned for life.
Anyways, anyone who is ok with the death penalty is ok with an innocent person occasionally being wrong executed, as it's impossible to have the death penalty without occasionally making any mistakes.
It's not worth that cost in my books.
WoodyLee
It's an option but a bitter one, butter make damn sure he is the killer first BCZ. you only get one chance.
dido
The fact that legal state murder is a thing in a 'developed' nation in 2024 is astounding.
Shadows of the Rising Sun
Killing is never a rational, sane option.
Marlon Brando
Myth.
There is little to no evidence that the death penalty acts as a deterrent.
People who commit murder often do it in the heat of the moment without a second to consider the consequences, and those who commit premeditated murder believe they will never be caught.
tjguy
I understand the sentiment and would agree if it really were murder. It is not. It is judgment that takes a life. It is a penalty for the crime.
In cases where the death penalty is in play, yes, it does need to be a pretty air tight conviction to avoid making a mistake.
John
There is one thing I really envy about USA is having dead penalty for horrible crimes. Though It cannot be implemented in EU countries and it’s the right thing not to have in EU. Dead penalty rule requires some integrity on people doing their job, which doesn’t exist in EU countries.