crime

9-year-old boy set on fire by his estranged father a week ago dies

32 Comments

A 9-year-old boy who was doused with kerosene and set alight by his father in a murder-suicide attempt on Dec 23 died of his injuries on Monday morning.

Police said that Yotaro Mogi died at around 5:30 a.m. Monday without regaining consciousness after suffering severe burns all over his body, TBS reported. His father, Ryutaro Mogi, died of his injuries on Dec 23.

Mogi had been estranged from his wife and two sons since May 2012. His wife had consulted police about his abusive behavior and divorce talks were ongoing. Yotaro was the couple's younger son.

Last Monday, the boy was playing baseball with his teammates when his father entered the grounds of Shiomi elementary school in Bunkyo Ward at around 10:30 a.m. He took his son away from the group and then poured kerosene on him and himself. He then held onto the boy as he set fire to himself.

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32 Comments
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What a sick man, and what a poor little boy. RIP. horrible story to hear about over the holidays (or any time, for that matter).

5 ( +6 / -1 )

So sad, RIP

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Aw, sweetie. I was rooting for you, and I know a lot of other people were too. So sad to read this news.

Nine years old. Heartbreaking.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Rest in peace, little guy. Custody laws in Japan suck for the father, but the notion of children as property to go along with you in death is just absurd.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

This has nothing to do with custody laws. The father is 100% responsible for this crime, no one else.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

More help and support for 'stressed' people, please.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Sick animal excuse of a " Father ", even if he was completely denied visitation rights.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This has nothing to do with custody laws.

I'm not trying to justify it in any way, but to say custody has nothing to do with it is a little naive, don't you think?

2 ( +5 / -3 )

My heart sank when I read the title - I really, really wanted this boy to pull through when I had read the previous article of this unforgivable crime. RIP Yotaro.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Rest in Peace poor thing. Your suffering has finally ended.

I think this has everything to do with custody laws and spouse abuse. If the laws protected those who needed it and treated fathers fairly in cases of custody, many women wouldn't be punching bags, many men would have access to their kids. In return, kids would be a lot safer be it from an abusive parent or from being used as a pawn in divorce.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This is one of the saddest stories I have ever heard.

All the suffering in the world...

Some kids are lucky and get a nice mother and father, others get parents who will kill them...

And yet more poor kids are bombed and shot in places such as Syria...

Is life just a game of roulette?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

My heart breaks for this poor little boy, his mother and his brother.

Clearly the mother showed excellent judgement in leaving this abusive, violent and psychopathic man.

I hope the law is changed to ensure that women are able to get away from men who "might" be dangerous, or "might" hurt them, or their kids. Japanese law is quick to prosecute but only after someone gets killed.

If this man who had previously been agressive and violent was banned from going anywhere near his wife or children, this would never have happened. He should have been jailed after he attacked the mother in front of the children the first time.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

That is really sad. To take an innocent life away because of your lack of being a good husband is just beyond foul.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Poor little fellow ! How agonizing the pain must have been ! I guess it's lucky you were unconscious right up to the end. Rest in peace young man.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

@Fighting Viking

You're right, it sounds bad, but I bet a lot of people are thinking the same way.

RIP

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This horrible story just got worse. Not only did his family suffered a horrific ordeal, I am trying to imagine his team mates other people who witnessed this terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to everyone involved in this nightmare.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Sorry To hear about Ryo God Guide him.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

You're right, it sounds bad, but I bet a lot of people are thinking the same way.

I'm sorry, but I cannot agree. Where there's life, there's hope, and as you all know children are amazingly resilient. I went to school with a girl who had been thrown into a scalding hot bath by her mentally ill mother, leaving her with terrible terrible scars (both physical and mental). She is now happily married with two children of her own. As I said, where there's life there's hope.

Anyway, how dreadful for all concerned. I am so sorry.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

RIP little one. Nobody can hurt you now.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@kimuzukashiiiii at Dec. 30, 2013 - 05:33PM JST My heart breaks for this poor little boy, his mother and his brother.

I AGREE my heart goes out to the little boy and his classmates who witness this horrific ordeal. However their is two sides to the story and you are making an accusation that you or I know about accept for what is in print.

Clearly the mother showed excellent judgement in leaving this abusive, violent and psychopathic man.

EVIDENTLY you have no clue about Japanese law when it comes to custody battles. How do you not know this man tried every possible way to communicate with his ex-wife. When you deal with the law and the law protects lets say her in her case and their is no other way to communicate his actions may have lead to his violence and the final act. In no way am i saying what he did was right but child custody battles give the women 100% control and the father probably had no say.

I hope the law is changed to ensure that women are able to get away from men who "might" be dangerous, or "might" hurt them, or their kids. Japanese law is quick to prosecute but only after someone gets killed.

GREAT wish how many times have we read here that someone has been killed over a custody battle the laws on the books do protect those involved in this case the mother but when the other half feels he has nothing to live for because all of his rights have been taken away he feels his action is worth dying for this is the typical Japanese mind set.

If this man who had previously been agressive and violent was banned from going anywhere near his wife or children, this would never have happened. He should have been jailed after he attacked the mother in front of the children the first time.

POINT made nothing stopped this man from accomplishing what he set out to do the laws protected the mother in the end the innocent child lost his life because of the inability of both of them to sit down and communicate as they did when they first met. There is no difference between love and hate you can love some one as much as you hate them. The laws protected the mother the child became the target parents should settle their difference between themselves and leave the children outside of the fights after all the children never ask to be born

May the child rest in peace

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Rest in Peace

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

It still makes me weep.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So sorry to hear the boy died. People as long as you have life, you have hope. Get real, no matter what happens in life there is NO reason to sacrifice you life or another's unless it's to save a life.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

RIP Yotaro :-(

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@kaimycahl there is a difference between a woman who is keeping her kids away from their father out of spite, and one who does it because the father was abusive. of course good parents should have joint custody and visitation rights and the laws need to support that. but when you are dealing with abuse, the parent who is the abuser should be denied custody and visitation or at least have supervised visits with the kids. but even if you are denied access to your kids regardless of whether it is justified or not, i cannot understand parents who choose to kill their kids. If you love your child work within the law to change your circumstances. maybe you have to go through the school, attending the kids activities that way. there are ways to let your kid know you love them, even if you can't see them. Kids know when they don't see a parent because the parent doesn't want to and when it's because the parent with custody won't let them. sometimes you have to wait until they are grown to have a relationship and that is truly sad. but nothing justifies harming/killing the child.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This fathers actions speak for them self. He was a nut-bar. NO! law could have protected the children after he decided to take his and his sons life, aside from being in prison for the abuse. Still, they began divorce proceedings in 2010, so he would have been out of prison by now. The only thing the mother could have done was to move away and keep it a secret.

What a horrible horrible man.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

By far the saddest news I've read on this site all year. : (

1 ( +1 / -0 )

These kinds of things happen all over the world. I remember a recent one where a New York man, whose wife went 'missing', had his kids taken from his custody, and when the social worker came to his house with the kids as part of visitation rights he somehow let the kids in first, shoved the worker away and closed the door, then proceeded to kill the kids and burn the house down killing himself in the process. No custody laws can stop someone crazy, but concerned voters and lawmakers who make it a habit to regularly update / amend the laws can greatly reduce these cases.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

You need a license to drive a car, be a tour guide, or have a gun. But any crazy on the street can be a father. Society must have some kind of common sense mixed with 2 parts compassion and 1 part humility if we're going to ever make it friends. Rest in peace little man, your free now, in that big stadium in the sky. And your on the starting squad, no doubt. Peace on the seven seas †

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I really don't understand how anyone could even do this to their own child.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

warmup the incinerator for the cowardly father.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Poor kid.

There is no excuse for the father's actions.

The world knows how f'ed up custody law is in Japan. That is what good parents need to fight against. Hurting innocents is just tragic and stupid.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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