OSAKA (TR) – A week has passed since a man is believed to have stabbed a woman inside her apartment in a building in Daito City before starting a fire inside his unit on the floor below.
Despite the passage of time, police have unearthed few clues as to why the incident took place, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (May 4).
At just before 7:00 a.m. on April 28, officers responding to a distress call entered the residence of Momona Yoshioka, 21, on the third floor and found her collapsed face-down atop a bed.
Yoshioka, who had suffered dozens of stab wounds over her body, was later confirmed dead at a hospital, police said.
The unnamed man, 48, lived on the second floor. Police later entered his residence and found him collapsed amid the ruins of the fire. He was confirmed dead at the scene.
The cause of death was later determined to have been carbon monoxide poisoning, police said.
“Sensitive to household noise”
Yoshioka, a native of Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture, was a fourth-year student at a private university. She moved into the building in 2018.
Police do not know if she was an acquaintance of the man, who was employed at a building maintenance company in Suita City. He moved into the building about five years ago.
In the past, police were called to the building to settle a dispute about noise between the man and a neighbor living on the same floor. However, there were no reports of problems with other tenants, including Yoshioka.
“He was sensitive to household noise,” a relative said.
The residence of Yoshioka is directly above that of the man. Police said that the emergency ladder connecting their balconies had been pulled down.
Police believe the man used the ladder to gain entry to her apartment. After stabbing her, he returned to his unit and started the fire.
It is believed that he planned the attack in advance. Police found a 60-centimeter-long wooden stick which had a knife tied to it with a wire. Fingerprints matching the man were found on the homemade item.
As well, police found receipts from a home center for the purchase of the stick and a crowbar.
