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An 18-year-old youth on Friday was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the murder of his grandparents in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, on March 26 this year.
The youth, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was accused of stabbing to death his grandfather Masaaki Ozawa, 73, and his grandmother Chieko, 77, at their home. The couple's eldest daughter, who had been unable to contact her parents, went to the apartment with police and found them lying on the kitchen floor, covered by boxes and blankets. Next to their bodies was the knife used in the killings.
In handing down his ruling, the presiding judge said the defendant was fully responsible for his actions and planned the murder carefully, TV Asahi reported Friday.
During his testimony, the suspect said his mother, 41 -- who was also arrested -- pressured him to get money from his grandparents even if it meant killing them. He said he was never able to receive an education due to his mother’s spending.
On April 29, police arrested the victims' grandson and his mother -- the victims' second oldest daughter -- after they withdrew 80,000 yen from the bank account of the grandparents. The suspect said he got the PIN number from his mother who is currently serving time for robbery.
The suspect's lawyer said he intends to appeal the sentence.
© Japan Today
17 Comments
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khulifi
The mother should get at least another 15 years ..
sensei258
Sad they thought money was more important
SimondB
Premeditated double slaying = 15 years. Less with parole. Justice?
tim can
He should be getting life and since the judge said he was fully responsible for his actions he should be named. The mother should also be getting life. Neither should have a chance for parole.
More like the "convict's lawyer" now.
Mirai Hayashi
Mother should get life!!
Jay Que
Why is it that these horrific crimes are so often connected to Saitama?
FightingViking
Charming family !
GP_1639
****Saitama is like any other place in Japan. Criminals, nice people, parks and restaurants, etc., abound. I've been living here for 10 years with my wife and little girl. We feel safe. I guess it's just perspective. No more crime than any other prefecture.
Tamarama
Why do you think, Jay?
nath
It does actually have more crime then some prefectures, but as far as I recall from other threads where people always come up with this strange idea that more news = more crime, Saitama isn't even in the top 10 prefectures for crime.
smithinjapan
Good on them for the sentence -- you never hear of them actually charging a 'minor' for 'adult' crimes even though they can in Japan since a decade or more ago. Now they just need to add the murder charges to the mother as well -- at least as an accomplice.
HonestDictator
I'd hope they'd convict the mother too if she really did encourage this.
danako
Wow, now there's a mother you can love.
oyatoi
As long as they're only killing one another, the powers that be are disinclined to do anything that might ameliorate conditions amongst the proles that contribute to such horrors. The end game in this sordid equation was forged in a crucible of socially engineered neglect which intentionally consigns vast numbers of people to lives of penury and marginalisation. Expect zero compassion from the Todai educated elites who preside at the apex of this cruel Animal Farm like system, over whose dead bodies it will seemingly take for meaningful change to occur.
kokoro7
There has been talk in Japan for several years of lowering the voting age to 18. What would probably follow with that is lowering the age of being an adult from 20 to 18. (what would happen to Seijin no Hi?) Japan has too long been overly indulgent of 'youth'. They refer to them on the news as "seinen" or even worse "shonen". Puhleeeze! Japan: Change the blanking law and try 'youth' as adults, cuz that's what they are. They -do- know the difference between right and wrong; they're just able to take advantage of the so-called justice system now.
nigelboy
Puzzling comment. What is an 'adult' crime? As to the second sentence, by charging the mother would actually help the defense of the 18 year old for that is exactly what the attorney is pleading.
Shiver
Is this a real case from a movie MOTHER on netflix?