NARA (TR) – A court here last week handed a 21-year-old man a life-in-prison term over the murder of a male temporary worker two years ago, reports Jiji Press (Feb. 26).
At the Nara District Court on February 26, presiding judge Kunitaka Iwasaki said that Shu Takekabu had an “excessive degree of disregard for life” in the murder of Naoki Yamaoka.
The sentence was that sought by the prosecution.
According to the ruling, Takekabu used a knife to slash Naoki Yamaoka on a road in Sakurai City on the evening of November 24, 2019.
Takekabu then brought Yamaoka to his residence in Kashihara City, located about 5 kilometers from the scene of the crime in Sakurai. He then set the residence ablaze.
The results of an autopsy revealed that Yamaoka’s throat had been slit. The cause of death was death by fire, police said previously.
“I want the accused to spend his entire life in prison”
During the trial, Takekabu remained silent.
In handing down the ruling, judge Iwasaki took into account the fact that the defendant [in some way] possessed Yamaoka’s blood. “A random murder, whereby anyone can be a victim, can greatly impact society, meaning there is no room for a fixed term sentence,” the judge said.
“It is unfortunate that the death penalty, which was the request of our family, was not handed down,” Yamaoka’s father was quoted. “I want the accused to spend his entire life in prison to atone for his crimes.”
