Japan’s “Twitter killer” sentenced to death

Tokyo district court on Tuesday sentenced a man to death for the 2017 murders of nine people, local media reported, ending a case that grabbed headlines in Japan with the culprit dubbed “Twitter killer” for contacting victims via the social media platform.

Takahiro Shiraishi, 30, was found guilty of murdering, dismembering and storing the bodies of the nine in his apartment in Zama city in Kanagawa, on the outskirts of Tokyo, the report said.

In court the prosecution argued Shiraishi made contact with victims via Twitter after they expressed suicidal thoughts, the Jiji news agency reported. Using a handle which loosely translates as “hangman”, Shiraishi invited them to his apartment in Zama, promising to help them die, Jiji said, citing the indictment.

Shiraishi’s defence lawyers argued Shiraishi killed the victims with their approval, Kyodo said.

Presiding Judge Naokuni Yano ruled the victims did not consent to being killed, and that Shiraishi was mentally fit to be held responsible for their murders.

Twitter Japan was not immediately available for comment.

via Reuters