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Man arrested after girlfriend’s body found in love hotel

The Togitsu Police Station
The Togitsu Police Station

NAGASAKI (TR) – Nagasaki Prefectural Police on Thursday arrested a 36-year-old man for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, whose body was found inside a love hotel in Sasebo City, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Sep. 24).

At approximately 1:00 p.m., officers from the Togitsu Police Station entered a room of the hotel and found the body of 46-year-old Hitomi Doi lying face-up atop a bed. She was confirmed dead at the scene.

Manabu Shinohara, who was inside the room at the time, was apprehended and later charged with murder. “I strangled her,” the suspect is quoted by police.

Shinohara also told police that he killed Doi on Tuesday and later moved her body to the hotel.

Shinohara and Doi, who both live in Hyogo Prefecture, had been visiting Shinohara’s parents in Nagasaki City. On Monday, Doi lodged a complaint with police in Nagasaki about physical abuse by the suspect. While making the complaint, she mentioned breaking off the relationship with the suspect.

On three occasions in the past, Doi had also sought help from the Hyogo Prefectural Police regarding similar abuse.

According to the Asahi Shimbun (Sep. 24), the suspect told his family by telephone early on Thursday that he had killed Doi. A family member then alerted police.