The father of a 30-year-old woman accused of murdering of a man found decapitated in a Sapporo hotel in 2023 pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of aiding his daughter in the killing.
Osamu Tamura, a 61-year-old psychiatrist, allegedly assisted in the murder of the male company worker by purchasing items for his daughter Runa such as a saw and suitcase believed to have been used in the crime between June and July 2023, according to the indictment.
He is also suspected of driving his daughter to and from near the crime scene on the day of the incident and filming Runa damaging the head of the 62-year-old victim at their home after the murder, it said.
"There are several things that I believe are different (from the facts)," Tamura said in his first court hearing at the Sapporo District Court.
The victim was found naked and headless in a hotel in the Susukino entertainment district of the northern Japanese city on July 2, 2023. His head was subsequently found in the bathroom of the Tamura residence.
Runa, who has been indicted on charges of murder, allegedly killed the man by stabbing him in the neck at around 11:15 p.m. on July 1, and took the head home in a suitcase after beheading him.
Her mother, Hiroko, is also accused of allowing Runa to hide the victim's head at home and the filming of her daughter damaging the corpse, but pleaded not guilty in a court hearing that began in June last year.
The dates for Runa's court hearings have not been determined.
© KYODO
14 Comments
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JeffLee
Why did he (and his wife) feel the need to film the mutilation?
Harry_Gatto
That is, I think, quite significant.
A real family of ghouls who should never see the light of day again.
Legrande
The cross dressing victim had apparently incurred the wrath of the daughter after raping her.
Fighto!
These three psychopaths - if convicted - should never take a breath of air outside of a prison. Let them die in there.
Tim Sullivan
It's always interesting to read how my fellow sexagenarians spend their free time. I watch NHK and Netflix, spend time with my grandchildren and do a bit of volunteering in my local community. Hard to imagine that people of my age are sawing people's heads off. It's a bit Norman Bates.
Tim Sullivan
Osamu Tamura, a 61-year-old psychiatrist
I wonder what kind of advice he has been giving his patients over the years?
smithinjapan
I can understand wanting to protect your kid, but when she comes home with a human head...
Bret T
Wow. This is really a bizarre threesome. Purchasing supplies ahead (no pun intended) of time proves premeditation. This was not a "heat of the moment" killing.
It would be really interesting to know what is on that video and what were they doing with the head.
If not for the video, I would have thought they took it just to try to keep police from discovering the victim's identity. But the video, and keeping the head, suggest something really strange was going on here.
blackpassenger
Osamu: “I was sitting upright, with my hands handcuffed behind my back and wearing an eye mask, and my daughter approached me from behind, touching me here and there. I remember her asking me how it felt and interacting with me.”
this family is seeeeeriosly unwell. If this dude’s a shrink, I wouldn’t want to see his patients.
blackpassenger
heres is a much better article
https://www.tokyoreporter.com/crime/father-of-woman-accused-of-decapitating-cross-dressing-man-in-sapporo-love-hotel-testifies-in-court/
Mocheake
Wow, the whole family had no qualms about murdering a guy, beheading him, filming it and storing his head in their home! "Just throw the head in the bathroom, dear. We can decide what to do with it after dinner or even next week sometime. No rush." Gruesome and sick sick sick.
Tim Sullivan
The family that saws heads together, stays together. You never know what your neighbors are up to. Probably better not to find out.
Zaphod
It is a completely bizarre story. Apparently both parents were under total control of their sociopathic daughter. They both participated in the crime (she actually practised the murder with him...)
Whatever the judge decides, the guy is certainly not innocent. And he is a psychiatrist to boot....
P_C
WOW! Someone please start on the screenplay. The scene directions should be fascinating, and apparently you have absolute free reign with how the film plays out!