Japan executes Twitter killer for murder of nine people

Japan hat den sogenannten "Twitter-Killer" hingerichtet, der neun Menschen ermordet und zerlegt hat. Dies ist die erste Hinrichtung des Landes seit drei Jahren. Details zu diesem schockierenden Fall.
Japan executed the so-called "Twitter killer", who murdered and disassembled nine people. This is the first execution of the country in three years. Details on this shocking case. (Symbolbild/DNAT)

Japan executes Twitter killer for murder of nine people

In Japan, a man who is known as the "Twitter killer" was executed. He was convicted because he murdered and dismembered nine people, mostly women. This has been the first enforcement of the death penalty in the country for almost three years.

Details for execution

Takahiro Shiraishi, 34 years old, was hung in the Tokyo Detention House on Friday. In 2020 he was sentenced to death after he had stood the nine people - including eight women and one man.

background of the case

Shiraishi was arrested in October 2017 after the police were searching his home in Zama, a city in the Kanagawa Prefecture on the outskirts of Tokyo. This happened in the investigation into the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had expressed suicide thoughts on social media, including Twitter (today known as X).

terrible discoveries

In Shiraishi's apartment, three coolers and five containers were found that contained human heads and bones from which the meat had been removed. This top -class murder case had kept the nation in suspense for years and raised concerns about the use of social media.

The victims

The nine victims were between 15 and 26 years old. They had expressed online that they wanted to take their own life and were then contacted by Shiraishi via social platforms. With a username that means “executioner”, Shiraishi invited her to his apartment and promised to help them die.

The judgment and the reaction

Shiraishi confessed to killed the victims and said in court that he murdered them to satisfy his own sexual wishes. In December 2020 he was found to be guilty of murdering, raping and dismembering, and being kept in his apartment.

legal steps

Shiraishi's lawyer made an appeal against the judgment at the Tokyo High Court, but later withdrew the appeal, which made the judgment legally binding. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said in a press conference: "This case, which was driven by selfish motifs such as sexual and financial satisfaction, led to the death of nine people within two months - an extremely serious incident that ensured in the company for shock and fear."

confidentiality of the executions

The execution of Shiraishi is the first since July 2022 in Japan. In Japan, the death penalty is carried out by hanging, whereby the appointments are not announced until the punishment is enforced. Expressions are surrounded by confidentiality, and family members and lawyers are usually only informed after enforcement.

"The death penalty became final after a thorough process. After careful and deliberate weighing up of all factors, I issued the enforcement order," added Suzuki.

This is a developing story that is constantly updated.