OSAKA (TR) – Police have sent a 68-year-old man to prosecutors over the alleged murder of a male acquaintance in the victim’s apartment in Osaka City’s Higashisumiyoshi Ward last month, reports TBS News (July 1).
Between the afternoon of June 22 and the morning of June 24, Noboru Matsumura, of no known occupation, allegedly used a blunt weapon to repeatedly strike Akihito Yoshikawa in the head.
At around 3:40 p.m. on June 25, officers working off a tip found the body of Yoshikawa lying face-up atop a futon inside the ninth-floor residence.
“We got into an argument while drinking,” the suspect was quoted by police. “I attacked him as he slept.”
At the time of the discovery, the body, clothed only in a t-shirt, was covered by a blanket. An examination of the body showed no signs that the victim attempted to fend off the attack. Police retrieved a blood-soaked hammer at the scene.
Yoshikawa, who lived alone, worked part-time at a building maintenance company. Prior to the discovery, an employee of the company told police that he failed to arrive at work on June 24 and the day after.
Upon the arrival of police, the front door of the residence was locked and the interior showed no signs of having been ransacked.
Matsumura surfaced as a person of interest after an examination of security camera footage. On June 28, he surrendered to the Higashisumiyoshi Police Station.
