HOKKAIDO (TR) – The trial has begun for a 23-year-old woman accused of torturing a 17-year-old high school girl and forcing her to plunge to her death from a bridge in Asahikawa City two years ago, reports Nippon News Network (May 26).
Appearing at the Asahikawa District Court on Monday, Riko Uchida flatly denied the murder charges. “I had no intent to kill, and I did not make her fall from the bridge,” she told the court in a quiet voice.
According to prosecutors, the fatal 2024 incident culminated with Uchida stripping the 17-year-old victim naked and forcing her to sit on a bridge railing.
Uchida allegedly screamed “Fall!” and “Die!” repeatedly before the teenager plunged into the river below.
Social media dispute
The deadly escalation was triggered by a petty social media dispute. The victim had reportedly posted a photo of Uchida eating ramen without her permission.
Enraged, Uchida threatened the teen over the phone, demanded cash as a “settlement,” and summoned her to a roadside station. She then assaulted the victim outside a convenience store before abducting and confining her in a vehicle.
Uchida’s denial in court contradicts the testimony of her accomplice, Yuka Konishi. Konishi, who was 19 at the time of the crime, has already been handed a 23-year prison term for her role in the murder. During her own trial, Konishi testified against her co-conspirator, stating, “Riko pushed her body.”
Security camera audio
Chilling audio from a convenience store security camera was played during the hearing. The recording captured the victim weeping and screaming, “Please call the police!” while another voice shouted, “It’s your fault!” and “No one is going to help you!” Uchida reportedly averted her eyes as the evidence was presented.
The primary focus of the trial is whether Uchida physically executed the murder and possessed murderous intent. Uchida’s defense team argued that she merely left the teen on the bridge without her mobile phone and was walking away from the scene when she heard a scream and a loud noise.
Prosecutors, however, countered that even if Uchida did not physically push the teenager, the extreme actions that led up to the fall directly constitute the execution of murder.
The verdict in Uchida’s case is scheduled to be handed down on June 22.
Affair with detective
Prior to the proceedings on Monday, a line of around 300 persons formed for the 23 seats in the courthouse.
Part of the public’s interest is due to the lurid aspect to the case. After the incident, weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun reported on Uchida’s affair with a detective.
According to the weekly, Uchida met the unnamed detective from the Asahikawa Chuo Police Station at a bar in Asahikawa in 2024. The detective, who has a wife and children, then began a physical relationship with Uchida.
It was later that he became the detective in charge of Uchida’s murder case.
