Japan executes man dubbed the “Twitter killer,” convicted serial killer who murdered and dismembered 9 people

Friday, Japan executed a man nicknamed the “Twitter Killer” who murdered and dismembered nine people whom he met online during the first promulgation of the death penalty by the country since 2022.

Takahiro Shiraishi34 years old, was hanged for killing his young victims, all except one, after having contacted them on the social media platform, now called X.

He had targeted users who posted to commit suicide, telling them that he could help them in their plans, or even die by their side.

According to the BBC, its Twitter profile contained the words: “I want to help people who really suffer. [direct message] Me at any time. “”

He killed the three teenage girls and five women after raping them. He also killed the boyfriend of one of the women to silence him, reported the Associated Press.

The Minister of Justice, Keisuke Suzuki, said that Shuishi’s crimes, Directed in 2017Included “theft, rape, murder … Destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse”.

“Nine victims were beaten and strangled, killed, stolen, then mutilated with parts of their body hidden in boxes and pieces thrown in a dumping ground,” Suzuki told journalists in Tokyo.

Nine dismembered bodies were found in coolers and toolboxes when police visited his apartment, which was nicknamed by the media as a “House of Horrors”, reported the BBC.

Shiraishi acted to satisfy “his own sexual and financial desires” and the murders “caused a big shock and anxiety to the company,” said Suzuki.

“After a lot of consideration, I ordered the execution.”

Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries to still use capital punishment, and there is a strong support for the practice among the Japanese public, according to surveys.

There was an execution in 2022, three in 2021, three in 2019 and 15 in 2018, the Ministry of Justice told AFP.

Shuishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murders of his nine victims, aged 15 to 26.

After having attracted them to his small house near the capital, he hid parts of their body around the apartment in coolers and tool boxes sprinkled with cat litter in order to hide the evidence.

His lawyers had argued that Shiraishi should be sentenced to prison sentence rather than being executed because his victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and therefore agreed to die.

But a judge rejected this argument, calling the crimes of Shiraihi “cunning and cruel”, according to reports.

“The dignity of the victims was trampled on,” said the judge, adding that Shuishi had practiced with “mentally fragile” people.

The macabre murders were discovered in the fall of 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a 23 -year -old woman who would have tweeted in wanting to commit suicide.

His brother had access to his Twitter account and finally led the police to the Shiraishi residence, where the investigators found dismembered body parts.

Executions in Japan

Executions are still carried out by suspension in Japan, where around 100 prisoners of death are waiting for their sorrows to be executed.

Almost half is looking for a new trial, Suzuki said on Friday.

The executions are carried out in secrecy, where prisoners are not even informed of their fate until the morning of their suspension, according to the Associated Press.

Japanese law stipulates that executions must be carried out within six months of a verdict after the exhaustion of calls.

In reality, however, most prisoners are left on hairstyle tents for years, and sometimes decades.

There are generalized criticisms of the system and the government’s lack of transparency on practice.

The execution of Shiraishi was the first under the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Japan Times reported.

In 2022, Tomohiro Kato was hanged For an attack that killed seven people in 2008, when he struck a rented truck of two tonnes in a crowd in Tokyo and made a stabbing rod.

THE High level executions From Guru Shoko Asahara and 12 former members of the worship Aum Shinrikyo Doomsday took place in 2018.

Aum Shinrikyo orchestrated the 1995 Sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo metro system, killing 14 people and disgusting thousands of others.

If you or someone you know are in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, call the National Hotline for suicide prevention at 1-800-273 (8255).

For more information on mental health care resources and support, the National Alliance on Mental Didas (Nami) assistance line can be reached from Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 1-800-950-Nami (6264) or by e-mail info@nam.org.