CHIBA (TR) – The Chiba District Court on Monday handed a 26-year-old woman a prison sentence of 10 years over the killing of her brother and the dismemberment of his body in their residence in the town of Shisui two years ago, reports NHK (Mar. 5).
In handing down the ruling, presiding judge Junko Takagi said that Emi Takeuchi fatally stabbed Ryo Takeuchi, a 21-year-old employee at a welfare institution, but added that the defendant did so “without an intent to kill” on around August 31, 2016.
Takeuchi then used a knife to dismember the corpse of her brother before concealing it in various locations in the residence, including the refrigerator, according to the ruling.
The following September, police acting on a tip found the victim’s head and a severed leg inside separate plastic bags in a corner of the living room. “Due to day to day troubles, I killed my brother by stabbing him with a kitchen knife,” the suspect was quoted by police at the time of her arrest.
The prosecution had sought an 18-year term in the case. During the trial, the defense claimed that Takeuchi “mistakenly stabbed her brother in the thigh without an intent to kill” in killing him.
While Takeuchi was not convicted of murder she was found guilty of manslaughter. “The destruction of a corpse is an act of indignity,” the judge said in explaining the reason behind the 10-year term.
