American to serve 5-10 years for murder of Irish student

@all4faj - I believe that is why bar owners are required to check for id, first. Dah!? Was the girls involuntarily or voluntarily intoxicated or comatose like the prosecutor stated? Surely, a taxi driver would not allow groping in the back seat of a taxi to two comatose females unless it was customary in Japan to do so. The taxi driver said nothing. Prosecutors claim they have evidence from a video. Provide the audio to it then. Don't assume Hinds rented the room. Let the public know in detail WHO rented the room or rooms and provide the toxic report. 5-10 years cannot be considered justice when the case has more holes in it that would put a major doughnut shop out of business. Provide the toxic report now. If Hinds did it, release the toxic report, appeal the judge's ruling, and get more time added. Why be afraid to release the toxic report. Let the media scruntize it.

A bar serves a foreigner drinks ( who looks much older than his 19 years ) no reason to suspect he is a minor. The taxi driver allegedly allows a passenger to get molested, He is a taxi driver driving to a Shinjuku hotel at night, fairly good odds that quite a bit of groping has gone on in the back of his taxi with intoxicated women as the recipients. I assume it was Hinds and his friend that were staying at the Hotel and not the girls, and so the Hotel loaned them wheelchairs to help take their intoxicated dates to their rooms. 5-10 years for taking the young ladies life seems fairly lenient to me.

A bar serves a minor drinks. The taxi driver allegedly allows a passenger to get molested. A hotel provides a comatose woman a wheelchair so that Hinds can allegedly take advantage of her in the room. The media claimed it was death by asphyxiation. Later officials change it to strangulation. Prosecutors then claim Hinds did it with his hands. Then they said he did it with a towel. A 9 panel member of judges claim it was murder with intent although they admit Hinds tried to help her. Her friend does not file rape charges against Blackstone. And no one as of today has released the toxicology report to the media.

It is a muder and nothing else , it is really shoking 5-10 years , NO it is unjustice , it must be more !

Sue the bar too for serving a minor (Richard Hands) drinks.

The hotel appears to be negligent based on the facts so they MUST be sued.

No way! Sue the hotel for what - allowing people the freedom to stay at their hotel? The hotel staff did not strangle the woman! This sue, sue, sue mentality is pathetic and immoral. Just because she was in the hotel does not mean they condone or in any facilitated the strangling of the deceased woman. The only person responsible for the Irish woman's death is the person that caused the death - Richard Hinds.

As for the penalty - 5 to 10 years for murder? Makes no sense to me.

The last minor to be sentenced to death was in 1999 he was 18 and he raped and murderded a women and killed her 11 mo daughter. So minor in Japan can be sentenced to death.

Hotels have a general duty to protect their guests from unreasonable harm from other guests or non-guests. Hotels have an affirmative duty to protect their guests from unreasonable harm. Hotels can be vicariously liable for their employees.

However, it all depends, if Furlong had standing to be at the hotel.

The hotel appears to be negligent based on the facts so they MUST be sued. At the same time, the "toxicology report" and details of "who rented the room in which the crime was committed" needs to be released. Justice needs to be done from all angles. The parents should have the right to know if it was in fact murder or a reaction to something else. Not a one-sided trial that appears to be justice.

The Furlongs have stated that they intend to sue the Keio Plaza Hotel for negligence. This should be a more straightforward case. It depends on whether there was a duty of care owed to Nicola Furlong and whether that duty of care was breached. If the Furlongs win, the judgment will likely be paid by the hotel's insurance company. The insurance company can in turn sue Richard Hinds for reimbursement (subrogation). I doubt Hinds has much in the way of assets, but his wages can still be garnished.

@The Chronic: The quote you posted from the newspaper implies that the "hatred of women" in rap had a part in Furlong's death. However, the women attended a "female rap" concert. The race of the rapper should not be a factor. If so, the same "freedom of speech" theory can be said about the House of Pain, Eminem, Iggy Azalea, etc. As for Elvis, background research should be helpful since he was surely influenced by gospel, soul, R & B, other genres of music, and, of course, blacks - making him the "King of Rock!"

Providing news articles that give a focus on the "toxicology report" and "who actually rented the room in which the crime was committed" should be what is posted first. The issue of "rap music" in the fray should come after the "taxi driver" and "hotel staff" are also sued or prosecuted.

@RealJapan: Minaj is a Black female rapper. I guess you have never listened to her lyrics. She hangs with losers like Lil Wayne, Kanye West, etc.... And the difference between Elvis Presley and Rap music is that Elvis never sang about, raping and disrespecting women, killing cops, glorifying the criminal lifestyle, gang banging, drive by shootings, etc....

And no need to release any info to the public about this case. The two convicts in question had their day in court and they lost. Guilty!

@ The Chronic and @All: The newspaper article you are quoting is mistaken. Firstly, for the discussion at hand the concert Furlong and her friend attended was Nicki Manji - a female. Secondly, the same thing was said about "Rock and Roll."

The subject of rock ‘n’ roll has been controversial and a source of conflict between parents and children ever since it first appeared on the scene in the mid 1950’s. When Elvis Presley performed on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time in 1956, the cameras only showed him from the waist up, because adults were offended by the way he shook his hips. The kids loved it! - Fr. Paul O'Callaghan

On the issue of the females being drugged released the full "toxicology report" to the public and provide full details of who rented the room in which the crime took place. Only then should comments about the case be made - not a one-sided trail favored towards the prosecution.

Seriously? Only 5 years for drugging, raping and then murdering someone? Only 3 years for date rape?

I wonder if they will be properly registered as sex offenders when they come back to the states, or does all that get waived as the crime happened in a foreign country?

Two thugs who got off easy.... Rape and murder should cost more than 3 and 5 years.

Here's a post I read on an Irish Newspaper website about this case:

"The hatred of women and celebration of violence against them is the meat and potatoes of Rap. The principle of free speech gives legal protection to this expression of an American criminal subculture. Young people constantly exposed to it become tolerant, then partial to its values. Occasionally they act on them. The naive young women thought that they were being liberated by attending one of these barbaric concerts. Their experiences are a warning to every parent. For the rest of us, have the courage to protest its intrusion into our lives."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

This poses some interesting problems because technically the murderer is a minor, but he is independent and living/working on his own overseas. Anyway, the sentence is pretty light, methinks. Had it been 10 to 20 that would have been better. In any case, he'll be surely sorry for his night of 'fun'.

As for saying the taxi driver bears some responsibility, he does not. Who is a cabbie to tell drunk kids not to mess around in the back?

Oops - iPad word correction... Meant to say that I don't think I would act the same way if anything like this happened my daughters..

I don't remember my sudden transformation between 19 and 20 which instantly made me mature, clarified everything for me, showed me wisdom and made me responsible for my actions... The law should probably not have a binary switch between juvenile and adult classification, but rather some type of phased approach. Hinds is very lucky to have been protected by Japanese juvenile law - although most of us feel that it was lenient, he did get the maximum sentence permitted for a juvenile.

I believe Nicola's parents are not interested in a civil suit against Hinds. They didn't want anything from him except the truth, which he never gave. I really feel for them and admire their courage and restraint. I don't think I would act the same way if nothing like this happened to my daughters.

Was Furlong's friend molested in the taxi? The prosecution claims she was. Therefore, the taxi driver is culpable and can be sued as an accessory since he neglected to stop it. The hotel as well for providing a wheelchair. The information is one-sided and only supports the prosecution side. No evidence has been presented to date - other than a wheelchair and a self-confession. Was it a towel? His bare hands? asphyxiation or stragulation? The facts or evidence seem to change in every article. I agree Furlong's parents should sue in US court. Hinds might have some defense. If the OJ Simpson case is to be used as an example, after most convicted him, it is turning out that possibly Jason, OJ Simpson's son, may have actually committed the crime(s). Furlong's parents should seek out justice - not a mere self-confession based on the guy previously dancing on the train.

What a shame. The bastard robbed the young woman of the rest of her life, while this lenient sentence will only rob him of at least 5 years of his life...so he might get out when he's like 25? that's nothing!! Outrageous. How many cases have their been here in Japan where people 18, 19 commit heinous crimes, yet get off with a slap on the wrist? I know you like to be childish and immature Japan, but you seriously need to wake up and adjust the age for trying people as adults!

Although Japan has the death penalty, the maximum sentence for a murder committed by a minor is 10 years.

Now AP says he was tried as a minor. But the maximum sentence for a murder by a minor whose age is 18 or 19 is death sentence. There is a case that an 18 year old boy killed 2 persons and received death sentence. Supreme Court H20 (A) 1136 on February 20, 2012.

And what did the taxi driver do?

You are assuming the driver knows English...in Japan. He probably thinks they are a typical bunch of party animals. How many taxi drivers in the U.S. knows/understands Japanese?

The killer having now been convicted as a juvenile in an adult court. Is He now in Fuchu an adult prison usually where foreign convicts are sent and will be treated as such with hard labour ? or has He been sent to a juvenile re-education centre ? JT Any clues ?

Cameras in taxis are not illegal because your expectation of privacy is waived when you enter a public service vehicle. The fact that they had to use wheelchairs to get the women into their rooms goes to show there was no way the women consented to what happened to them. The exchange student was strangled to death, so yes, there WAS a murder. Any toxicology report that would have exonerated the defendant would surely have been submitted as evidence, so RealJapan's demand for the parents of the murderer to sue the defense attorney for malpractice assumes all sorts of things that obviously are not factual.

Regarding legal malpractice (from Wiki):

Legal malpractice is the term for negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, or breach of contract by an attorney that causes harm to his or her client. In order to rise to an actionable level of negligence, the injured party must show that the attorney's acts were not merely the result of poor strategy, but that they were the result of errors that no reasonable attorney would make.

Furthermore, legal malpractice requires proof of what would have happened had the attorney not been negligent; that is, "but for" the attorney's negligence ("but for" causation). If the same result would have occurred despite different (non-negligent) actions by the attorney, no cause of action will be permitted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_malpractice

@cramp

I don't think the taxi driver can be blamed here...as far as he knew these were just a bunch of gaijin on a night out.He wouldnt have understood what was being said or wouldnt have seen what was happening in the back seat as his eyes were on the road while driving.....neither he/she would say much to a bunch of gaijin as am sure the hotel staff wouldnt either...japanese people avoid confrontation most times anyway,especially with gaijin

It's a sad mess all around. Unfortunately, the Furlongs can really only sue Hinds and Blackstone. As Ms. Furlong was of age to drink alcohol and was able to decide not to drink, the concert is free of charge.

The taxi company would be absolved because they did not knowing become an accessory to murder. The taxi's job is to transport people from A to B, as long as the taxi driver did not know that B would lead to the woman's death, no crime. Also there is the language barrier to consider, really hard to prove the driver knew enough of the conversation to make them pay.

The hotel will settle because they're insured for this. Sick say to say but they are.

The Furlongs can not sue the concert for Hinds' alcohol consumption. The concert is responsible for letting a minor drink but that does not concern Ms. Furlong unless she bought the drinks for him. Then it would become a mute point, as she would then be considered the vehicle of her demise.

Blackstone, too easy. His conviction already provides a willing intent. Hinds, well we know what will go down.

BIGGEST PROBLEM; where to try the case Japan- Very long time USA or Ireland- then you have to get Japan to honor the verdict.

The Furlongs should sue Richard Hinds in a U.S. court for wrongful death. They would only have to prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence, a lower burden of proof than you would need in a criminal case. It worked for the Goldman and Brown families against O.J. Simpson. Unfortunately, the Furlongs don't appear to be interested in pursuing any further legal action.

Angela said they had no desire to pursue a civil action against Hinds. "I don't want anything from him anyway. All I wanted was the truth and he couldn't give me that," she told the Irish Independent.

Still, I think the Furlongs should seriously reconsider their decision not to take legal action against Hinds.

I agree with Cramp. Furlong's parents should sue the taxi company and hotel in a civil suit and the parents of the two boys should sue the defense attorney for malpractice.

what kind of scumbag hotel lets people borrow wheelchairs and not suspect anything?? especially when the women are clearly incapacitated and the boys, intoxicated

@ House Atreides: My point exactly - Where is / was the "defense attorney?" How about an "Objection?" It should be the defense attorney's job to provide medical evidence to dispute Dr. Yoshida. Release the toxicology report, taxi video, etc. to the public. I would agree with Jack Stern that the two should had been sent to Ireland. Maybe just through a fair trial would have been served.

Hind's was brought into an Adult court, but it doesn't say that he was tried as an adult. I agree with many here that he should have been tried as an adult, though. The judge sentenced him as fully as he could, so don't blame him for a 'light' sentence, blame the system.

The judge should have sent them to Ireland to serve their sentence.

RealJapan: I find nothing credible about the statement as written and surely NOT a "self-confession."

@RealJapan: Richard Hinds stated during cross-examination: "If I misjudged my pressure, I humbly accept it, if I misjudged it." Hinds was on the witness stand when he uttered those words. Nobody coerced him to make that statement.

Basically, the issue boils down to whether you believe the testimony of Dr. Yoshida or Richard Hinds. The only testimony consistent with the autopsy evidence is Dr. Yoshida's account. Richard Hinds' statement, "I only lightly pressed on her neck during sex" is inconsistent with the primary evidence, namely the autopsy report. Nicola's blood-vessels burst in her eyes and eyelids and she suffered bleeding in the muscles of her neck and on her lungs. Richard Hinds did not present any medical evidence to counter Dr. Yoshida's testimony that Nicola died of strangulation.

Asked why he thought she had died, Mr. Hinds said he had "no explanation".

5 ~ 10 years explained . Under Japanese law , the scum bag will do the minimum five years hard labour before being considered for parole . There is not such thing as parole for a foreign convicted prisoner in Japan as this would facilitate issuing the parolee a visa , The minimum 5 will stand. The convicted basta&d now has to serve 2/3rd of the next 5 before he can apply to serve the remainder of his sentence in USA .

Utterly circumstantial, but this is what the accomplice was up to days before murder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaMxy6FF4Lk Quite a character statement.

@kimuzukashiiiii: Camera issue is debatable. Fair point there. However, you cannot have a very strict privacy law like in Japan and then have cameras everywhere. Should be a crime. The same taxi camera should also be used to prove or disprove that she and her friend were "forced" in the taxi or not. Thus, the issue is not concrete and the parents should want justice - not a forced, self-confession that is "normally" the case.

RealJapan - completely disagree with you about taxis having cameras "should be a crime". To be honest I think most of them have cameras now, and it is clearly labelled inside the camera (on a sticker, in English too sometimes) and its mainly to protect the taxi driver.

Its like saying they should not have CCTV on buses, or trains, or subways.

Sadly none of us were in that room when she died to help her, but the fact is, he took her in there with the intent to rape her, she obviously woke up midway, tried to stop him, and he strangled her to silence her ... and she never woke up again. That seems concrete enough to me...

@Lowly: I agree on issues of circumstantial evidence. However, where is it? I see nothing provided so far that it exists. If so, where's the intent? Sorry, i forgot he used a "wheelchair" first. It should be a crime too for taxis to have video cameras in a taxi and not inform passengers (especially with Japan privacy laws) in place. No need to protect "Hinds" since he has been viciously convicted. Surely, everyone wants justice for Furlong. Yet, at the end of the trial it seems to be another "forced" and "self-confession" to me. "If I misjudged my pressure, I humble accept it." - Hinds Case closed.

So he was tried as an adult, but sentenced as a minor? Tosser should have had life! Him and his pal are a pair of vicious, evil buggers who preyed on a young woman for their own gratification... they deserve the worst that the penal system can throw at them... not these insulting sentences. You get longer than that for robbery.

Harry - and the person involved is going to serve "no less than 5 years" for this ... so he will possibly be out when hes like 24??!! I would have hoped for no less than 10 years.

@House Atreides: I believe the statement perhaps should be corrected. It appears the statement you provided is from both Dr. Yoshida and Dr. Hamel. However, the statement is "according to Dr. Yoshida," with an end paragraph that Hinds "self-confessed." I find nothing credible about the statement as written and surely NOT a "self-confession." Again, where's the evidence? OR jury or defense attorney for that matter?

Shame on the judge, he had the opportunity to deliver a fair and JUST sentence and did not. Shame on him.

No he did not. Can you, or did you, read the article? Under Japanese law the maximum sentence is 10 years in this case.

Did he actually commit a murder? The only evidence they point to is a "wheelchair."

Both Dr. Kenichi Yoshida, who carried out the autopsy, and Dr. Marianne Hamel, an expert hired by Richard Hinds, have stated that Nicola was strangled. According to Dr. Yoshida:

Nicola was strangled for several minutes with a cotton-type ligature, most likely a rolled up towel or tank-top found at the scene, which left a five centimetre wide "pale area" around her neck. During the attack, she bled from her nose, blood-vessels burst in her eyes and eyelids and she suffered bleeding in the muscles of her neck and on her lungs. In desperation to rip the ligature from her neck during the attack, which Dr. Yoshida estimated had lasted several minutes, Nicola left abrasions on her own chin and collarbone with her fingers.

The above evidence is inconsistent with Richard Hinds "pressing lightly" for 30 seconds.

Asked whether he understood the testimony last week of two pathologists who said that Ms Furlong died from powerful strangulation that last several minutes, he said "If I misjudged my pressure, I humbly accept it, if I misjudged it."

Who sounds more credible, Dr. Kenichi Yoshida or Richard Hinds?

RealJapan-

Murders get convicted on circumstancial evidence all the time. Yes we have witnesses and video of the taxi stuff and hotel lobby wheelchair. The women were drunk/ drugged and being played with like toys by these guys. They brought them to their hotel rooms and were determined to have had sexual contact w/ the incapacitated girls. Then, the one girl died by strangulation. This is unquestioned. But sure, we don't have video of the moment of death.

Your question "did he do it" and what about the defense attorneys is legitimate, but in this case, it pretty much looks like while he may not necessarily have planned on murdering her, he was recklessly assaulting her and it ended in her death.

Is there such a thing of defense attorneys in Japan? Why not let a defense attorney speak? Cases seem to go from police, prosecutor, judge - GUILTY. Happens to both Japanese and foreigners. Was there a jury this time involved? Where's the evidence?

This whole thing is WRONG on so many levels.

JUSTICE is not a word that cannot be used in case.

Shame on the judge, he had the opportunity to deliver a fair and JUST sentence and did not. Shame on him.

Did he actually commit a murder? The only evidence they point to is a "wheelchair."

@univerman666

Your statement is wrong on so many levels - think before you write.

I get that the sentence is shikataga nai because that is the length of time for a minor,

but then, what was the meaning of trying him in an adult court?

This is just weird.

A Real P.O.S. and this is NOT Justice!This was a Planned Crime & these two didn't care about Anyone but their own perverted needs! I hope the family will get the Irish Embassy/consulate to help appeal this travesty!

He got off really light. Did he even apologize to her parents?

Hinds never apologized to the Furlongs. In fact, Hinds denied killing Nicola Furlong.

"I feel very sorry for their loss. I firmly believe I did not kill their daughter. That is from the bottom of my heart." - Richard Hinds

These convictions also follow these dirtbags their entire life as well, every job application, every trip (if they are even allowed into any country in the future with criminal records), every bank loan etc they ever attempt to get in the future, it will follow them. Dirtbags!

only 5 years for Rape + Murder , cant believe. Someone who drugged a girl , bring her to a hotel, rape her and kill her, must not be treated as a minor.

If they gave him the maximum 10 year sentence for a minor like him the family might have felt that justice had been done.They seemed more relieved that their daughters good name had been vindicated after what the defendant had said in court.But when there is a possibility that a murderer coild be released after 5 years on "good behaviour"...that is a real slap in the face for the victims family.

parents should go for appeal against the verdict.

I get that Hinds is a minor by Japanese laws, but didn't the court decide last summer that he was going to be tried as an adult?

http://japandailypress.com/tokyo-court-rules-nicola-furlong-murder-suspect-to-be-tried-as-adult-078476

House - Please teach me (I dont know)... I thought he was tried as an adult? Thats why they can tell his name?

No, Richard Hinds' name was never revealed by the Japanese court nor the Japanese media. Hinds was first identified by overseas media.

What would be the point in trying him in an adult court, if they still give the same sentence as a minor?

I believe the prosecutor was trying to get Hinds tried as an adult. Hence, the move from juvenile to adult court. But there appears to have been some sort of pressure from higher up not to try him as an adult. Some in Ireland are speculating that the U.S. government intervened in the case.

He got off really light. Did he even apologize to her parents?

RIP Furlong, may your next life be more peaceful.

As for these criminals, they should serve at least 30 years and not in Japan where my tax dollars will be paying for their hospitality, they should serve in an Irish prison, let Furlong'scountrymen, give them some justice.

Richard Hinds was not a dancer. but a musician. Blackston, the other guy, was the dancer.

Richard Hinds, on the other hand, was 19 when he was arrested. Under Japanese law he is considered a minor and was tried as a minor, albeit in an adult court. Evidently, the maximum sentence a minor can receive for murder in Japan is 10 years.

House - Please teach me (I dont know)... I thought he was tried as an adult? Thats why they can tell his name? What would be the point in trying him in an adult court, if they still give the same sentence as a minor?

A fair verdict considering it was a foreigner-on-foreigner crime comitted there in Japan.

Hinds was old enough to work and live away from home, independently. He looked old enough to be served alcohol in a bar. He was old enough to pick up girls. Yet he is not considered to be old enough to be fully responsible for his actions. It's a little mind boggling why this is so, yet that's the law which is in place to protect juveniles and give them a chance to redeem themselves if they understand the consequences of what they did and fully 'repent'. Hinds has not even admitted his crime and shows no remorse. Her poor parents do not know the truth and probbly never will. He has effectively destroyed many lives and for me this punishment is too lenient.

I'd be interested if any follow up action will be taken on the others involved in this - the bartender for serving a minor drinks, Blackston for being an accessory to murder, the hotel staff for giving them wheelchairs and admitting non- registered guests & even the taxi driver who probably should have driven them to the nearest police station after he witnessed what went own in the taxi. Truly an awful night.

This is incorrect, more than 20 minors between 18 and 20 received the death penalty since 1948 and were executed.

According to the Wikipedia page, the last minor to be sentenced to death for killing one person was back in 1969. And no minor has been sentenced to death for multiple murders since 1999.

Don't they have tests for this during post-mortem, surely they would know if she had been give/taken such drugs?

It's not so clear-cut. I read that one of them was taking some sleeping medication. And tox results can be ambiguous.

"Although Japan has the death penalty, the maximum sentence for a murder committed by a minor is 10 years." This is incorrect, more than 20 minors between 18 and 20 received the death penalty since 1948 and were executed.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%AD%BB%E5%88%91%E5%9B%9A

The American soldier in Okinawa gets ten year prision term for rape. Is rape more important then murder in Japan?

If the American soldier you are referring to is Seaman Christopher Browning, he received a 10 year sentence because he was tried and sentenced as an adult. The other U.S. soldier, petty officer 3rd class Skyler Dozierwalker, was also tried as an adult and is serving a nine-year jail sentence. Browning was 24 and Dozierwalker was 23 when they were tried and sentenced.

Richard Hinds, on the other hand, was 19 when he was arrested. Under Japanese law he is considered a minor and was tried as a minor, albeit in an adult court. Evidently, the maximum sentence a minor can receive for murder in Japan is 10 years.

OK - if the daft law says 10 years is maximum that a so-called 'minor' can get for murder, I am sure the court could separately charge them and add on a few extra years for drugging the girls, abducting them and assaulting them - to be served consecutively. But I suppose that would be at the cost of the tax payer, so the idea is a fairly light sentence then kick them out of Japan, and end of story (for Japan).

The reason they don't say

the perps were part of Nicki Manaj's entourage

is because it's not true. Read the story again.

What they don't say is that the perps were part of Niki Manaj's entourage.

Like it or not, but according to the Japanese courts, and even though he was sentenced as an adult, the guy is still a minor at 19 years old. Even if he turned 20 during the trial, they would still look at him as a juvenile during the sentencing process.

And what did the taxi driver do?

Odds are nothing seeing as how in all probability he didn't know English or well enough to understand.

@sjfp - completely agree. There doesn't seem to be any correlation between crime and punishment, and is inconsistent to say the least.

Hinds watched and egged on Blackston from the front seat.

And what did the taxi driver do?

Both murder and rape should automatically be punished by life in prison or worse . Unforgivable.

Article states: "A 19-year-old American musician was convicted and sentenced to at least five years in prison Tuesday for murdering an Irish exchange student"

What am I missing? The American soldier in Okinawa gets ten year prision term for rape. Is rape more important then murder in Japan? This guy should've got at least 20 years to life. The girl was only 21 and had whole life ahead of her, and they destroyed their family.......and got only 5 years? What a joke in Japanese judical system.

Should they come back to the US I hope this criminal record travels with them assuming they're still US citizens. Automatic registration as sex offenders.

He was working professionally overseas while staying at a 5-star hotel. Is that what children and minors normally do? Gimme a break. He should have got 25 years or more.

allegedly because their drinks were drugged.

Don't they have tests for this during post-mortem, surely they would know if she had been give/taken such drugs?

I agree with her mother - A very lenient sentence and I feel sorry the way she says at least now everyone knows she didn't do anything wrong. I don't care how much you party/drink/meet guys, you don't deserve to be murdered.

What ...? The judge himself labeled the attack "vicious". It was a murder. And he can get out again when he is just 24 years old? Something is seriously wrong with the penal code here.