FUKUOKA (TR) — Police in Fukuoka City plan to refer a deceased man to prosecutors over the fatal beating of a 22-year-old university student, who the suspect initially claimed collapsed during a “sparring session.”
In January, Takumi Sugimoto was found unconscious inside his apartment in Higashihama, Higashi Ward. He was subsequently transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, reports FBS Fukuoka TV (May 11).
An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be traumatic shock. Sugimoto had sustained broken ribs and severe subcutaneous bleeding across his entire body.
At the time of the incident, an acquaintance in his 20s who was in the apartment called emergency services, telling dispatchers, “We were sparring. After that, he collapsed.”
However, investigators believe the violence went far beyond a friendly bout. Sugimoto and the suspect previously worked together, and police suspect the victim was viciously punched and stomped on during the altercation.
Police brought the suspect in for voluntary questioning on the day of the incident. By the following day, he was found dead outside of Fukuoka Prefecture in what investigators have determined to be an apparent suicide.
Despite his death, police say their investigation has solidified suspicions that the man’s assault directly led to Sugimoto’s death. They plan to send papers to prosecutors charging the deceased suspect with injury resulting in death in the near future.
