crime

Elderly Saitama couple arrested for killing son, claiming he abused them

20 Comments

A husband and wife were arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering their son whom they claimed regularly abused them in their home in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture. Police said they received a call late Wednesday afternoon from a neighbor suspecting that Kunio Sato, 73, and his wife Kazuko, 66, had murdered their son, Hitoshi, 42.

When police arrived, the son was already dead on the first floor of the home. Police said he had head injuries and appeared to have been beaten with a blunt instrument. Police said the couple confessed to the murder and told them that Hitoshi had regularly beaten and harassed them. They were quoted as saying they couldn't tolerate it anymore.

© News reports

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20 Comments
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Feel really sorry for the son and poor parents. I cannot understand why young generation cannot understand old parents' wishes for their cildren. Perhaps they did not fulfill son's wishes of big shopping or big money . At the same time it was really parents' this bad act which they executed with heavy heart and soul.

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...and another family murder

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I once heard or read that the most dangerous place to be in Japan was a Japanese home, and that most crimes are committed in the family here. Sadly, that's true in this case.

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Good on these old folks! Sounds like their son was a real a$$hole and he got what he deserved! I would say RIP but in this case B.I.H. burn in hell bad son, I hope the law is extra lenient on this poor elderly couple.

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Hold on a mo' there, these people CLAIMED their son abused them. We don't know what really happened here until after an investigation. Nobody deserves to be killed, in my opinion. What I wish would happen is for Japan to build up adequate social services for people being abused, so that they don't have to commit crimes just to defend themselves. No one should have had to die here, and it's a very sad and very preventable situation.

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Flatearther Agree totally. Wonder if they beat the son when he was young? In any case violence begets violence.

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geez, why didn't they just call the cops and have them remove the jerk from their house although he probably would have gone back and killed them with fire. Its possible they did the only thing they could to survive.

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I once heard or read that the most dangerous place to be in Japan was a Japanese home, and that most crimes are committed in the family here. Sadly, that's true in this case.

i think it's actually true everywhere, it's just that it is taboo to talk about it. the fact is that regardless of where you are, it is far more likely that a crime against you will be committed by someone close to you, rather than a stranger. when you consider MMO, it actually makes more sense than random acts by lunatics on the street

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Why is there no systems in place to stop this or at least if there is why don't people know about them? This type of stuff is preventable.

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To kill your own offspring is quite extraordinary (even though we've had quite a few killings their small children/babies). I wouldn't be surprised if this son really was making his parents' lives hell. Many times, police will not get involved with private family matters like this. It must have been pretty hellish. I side with the parents in this case unfortunate as it may be.

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Weird weird society here.

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i'm sure he did...good for them

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THis couple murdered their own flesh and blood. The only moral punishment is death by execution. This will deter others and help lower the murder rate.

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I once heard or read that the most dangerous place to be in Japan was a Japanese home, and that most crimes are committed in the family here. Sadly, that's true in this case.

Nah, this incident just happened in a town along the Takasaki Line again as some other poster put it in a related crime article.

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Reminds me of the saying, "I brought you into this world. I can take you out."

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The fact that not one but BOTH parents were complicit in the murder of their adult son is really quite unusual. That's not just the ultimate act of frustration taken to its limit; that kind of death from a parent to a child could only be borne out of hatred. If the impetus for this murder was what the parent's claim, that they suffered continual abuse at the hands of their son, then it must have been extremely bad. It definitely highlights the need for eldercare reform, and an overhaul of the criminal justice system that requires more action and accountability on the part of the police in regards to domestic violence and family abuse.

That being said, this still feels... strange. More strange than just the infanticide aspect. The son appears to have been beaten to death with a blunt instrument -- that takes a lot of force and repetition. We're talking about the age-weakened arm of a 73 year-old man and/or 66 year-old woman beating their (supposedly) healthy 42 year-old son to death. Does that make sense to anyone else? Did they kill him while he slept? I can't imagine any other way that an elderly couple that had already suffered abuse at the hands of their son could overpower that same son to commit the murder. Are there any other children in this family? I really get the vibe that these parents might be covering for the actions of another child or loved one. Maybe they have another son who killed this one, perhaps while defending the parents? Fratricide, while still heinous in its own regard, is somehow easier to envision than infanticide. Maybe the parents are planning to take the blame for another child, since they've already "lived their lives"? That's entirely conjecture on my part, but this whole scenario smells extremely fishy.

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in this case B.I.H. burn in hell bad son,

THis couple murdered their own flesh and blood. The only moral punishment is death by execution. This will deter others and help lower the murder rate.

Wow, people today are especially harsh. We don't even know the whole story! Too many are condemning the son or the parents like barbarians without considering both sides. By the way, why would it matter if they are of the same "flesh and blood". Each person is an individual. Flesh and blood doesn't make the matter better or worse. The parents may have very well been acting in self defense or perhaps the parents disagreed with the son on a matter and lied. It's hard to condemn anyone without more info.

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icewind007: Vermin that kill their own family must be removed from the gene pool. This coiple whilst elederly are cold blooded murderers. The state has a duty to society to end their wretched lives.

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Vermin that kill their own family must be removed from the gene pool

I think this couple already voluntarily removed their contribution to the gene pool, and I don't think they'll be making another.

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What's with people living with their parents until they're over 40 years old? Or over 20 for that matter?

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