HOKKAIDO (TR) – A court Asahikawa City last week sentenced a 19-year-old woman to 23 years in prison for murder and other crimes against a 17-year-old high school girl, who was pushed into a river from a bridge in Asahikawa City last April.
According to the ruling, the defendant from Asahikawa City committed murder and other crimes along with Riko Uchida, 22, by forcing Runa Murayama, a 17-year-old high school student from Rumoi City, to sit on the railing of the Kamui Ohashi bridge and pushing her off, causing her to fall to her death, reports NHK (Mar. 7).
In his ruling handed down on March 7, presiding judge Yoshiyasu Ogasawara of the Asahikawa District Court said, “There was no sign of any respect for the victim’s life or character. As well, the way the crime was carried out was cruel and extremely vicious.”
The judge went on to say that defendant, together with Uchida, pushed the victim, after having her sit on the railing. “It is clear that she was actively involved in the series of crimes,” he said.
During the trial, the prosecution called for a 25-year prison sentence. “It was an extremely cruel crime that violates the dignity of the person.”
Meanwhile, the defense argued that a 15-year prison sentence would be appropriate, saying the defendant were simply following Uchida’s instructions.
Judge Ogasawar also said, “It is recognized that the central acts, such as the murder, were ordered by Uchida, and compared to the size of her role, this sentence can be said to be somewhat small.”
“We will not appeal”
After the trial, the defendant’s lawyer told reporters, “It is as the defendant said in court, ‘I will accept any sentence.’ We will not appeal.”
Following the ruling, the victim’s family made a statement through her lawyer. In response to the 23-year sentence, the statement said, “We understand that the court took into consideration the feelings of us, the victim’s family, within the bounds of the law, but considering that the life our 17-year-old girl is lost we feel that 23 years is too light.”
The statement added, “Even now we cannot forgive the defendant, but we feel that the defendant’s testimony up until the time my daughter fell into the river was not just to protect herself, but was also the truth. Because of that, we were able to know how [the life of] our girl ended. I hope that the defendant will sincerely face up to what she has done and reflect on it.”
Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Asahikawa District Public Prosecutors’ Office Iwana Katsuhiko commented on the sentence, “The prosecutors’ arguments and evidence were largely accepted, and I believe that an appropriate sentence was reached.”
“Weighs heavily on my heart”
At a press conference held after the verdict, a man in his 50s who served as a juror in this trial said, “When I thought about the seriousness of the crime and its consequences, as well as the tragedy and cruelty, I felt that this was a terrible case, unprecedented. The trial is over and the verdict has been reached, but it still weighs heavily on my heart.”
When asked about the defendant being 19 years old at the time of the crime, he said, “In terms of the seriousness of this crime, I didn’t consider her young age.”
Another male juror said, “After the trial, my only impression is that it was painful. The video footage of the crime submitted as evidence was so shocking that I couldn’t believe it happened in real life.”
Another male juror said, “Considering the crime she committed, I felt it was important to give her the same treatment as an adult and to properly judge her crime. However, when I think about my own children and myself when I was 19, I feel that at that age, there are some aspects of adulthood that are immature. It was very difficult to make a final decision.”
The case caused aPrior to reading of the verdict, a line of 203 people formed outside the Asahikawa District Court for the 26 available seats inside.
The trial for Uchida has yet to begin.
