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Sagamihara stabbings: Suspect tests positive for marijuana

Satoshi Uematsu
Satoshi Uematsu

KANAGAWA (TR) – Investigative sources with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police announced on Monday that the suspect in the massacre last month at a facility for the disabled in Sagamihara City has tested positive for an illegal drug, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 9).

According to police, the results of a urine sample taken from Satoshi Uematsu, 26, who has been accused of murder in the stabbing attack that killed 19 persons and injured more than 20 others the Tsukui Yamayuri En facility, revealed the presence of marijuana.

Police forcibly obtained the sample from Uematsu, a former employee at the facility, after he initially refused to voluntarily submit. A subsequent search of his residence revealed a small quantity of marijuana.

At approximately 2:10 a.m. on July 26, Uematsu, entered the building on the ground floor by breaking a window with a hammer and allegedly began stabbing patients in succession. At some point, he bound the hands of staff members who tried to stop him.

Between December of 2012 and February, Uematsu worked at the facility. Around the time of his resignation, he submitted a letter to the official residence of the lower house chairman that discussed the elimination of handicapped persons.

Uematsu was subsequently institutionalized at a mental hospital, during which time he also tested positive for marijuana. Prior to his release in March, he was diagnosed as having a marijuana-induced mental disorder.