The Kobe District Court on Wednesday sentenced a 28-year-old man to 17 years in prison for his part in the deaths of two members of an extended family in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, between 2005 and 2008.
The court ruled that Yutaro Sumida conspired with his mother Miyoko in the bizarre case that involved at least eight deaths, NTV reported. A panel of professional and lay judges handed down their ruling in the trial that lasted 132 days.
Miyoko, 64, never made it to trial. She was found dead in her cell at a detention facility in Kobe in December 2012. She was in a futon and a T-shirt was twisted tightly around her neck, with her hands still on the shirt.
The murder investigation began after three decaying corpses were found in an empty house in Amagasaki. Miyoko Sumida used to live in the abandoned house.
A fourth body encased in a concrete-filled drum was pulled out of the sea in Okayama Prefecture shortly afterward. Police said that four more people were missing, presumed dead.
Yutaro was arrested along with his mother, his 33-year-old brother, Sumida's 65-year-old common-law husband, as well as a 45-year-old man married to one of the women whose body was found in her house.
All four dead were related to, or acquainted with Sumida.
News coverage of the case has featured tangled family trees and speculation over the reasons behind the multiple deaths, which has centered on claims the family has large debts and hinted at the involvement of organized crime.
Reports said Sumida would approach strangers, initially picking a quarrel with them before befriending them.
She would build a rapport that allowed her to exert enormous control over her victims, which reports say escalated to the point where she was able to move into the family home or have families go to live with her.
Sumida would then punish any who tried to escape by coercing family members to inflict physical hardships on them, in some cases torturing and starving people to death.
© Japan Today
10 Comments
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smithinjapan
I remember this case, and I'm sorry, but 17 years is not NEARLY enough, even if his mother is taking the brunt of the blame and it conveniently going away with her death. It should be seventeen years per murder.
sandiegoluv
THAT'S IT??? WOW, someone got off really easy here. How could this happen?
Alistair Carnell
Miyoko, 64, never made it to trial. She was found dead in her cell at a detention facility in Kobe in December 2012. She was in a futon and a T-shirt was twisted tightly around her neck, with her hands still on the shirt.
.... Er, and no one is going to question this ?
Is it really possible to strangle onself ? Or is this the J cops equivalent of, "sorry guv, he fell down a flight of stairs"?
sandiegoluv
I was wondering the same thing Alistair. Good to know I am not the only one who was wondering.
Kokuzi
So a mass murderer who is 28 years of age now is sentenced to 17 years in jail... do the math. The brightest minds in Japan have decided that this psychopath should be free to walk the streets of Japan from age 45. Just one more reason to say "Outta here!"
praack
well that should satisfy anyone from the UK because that type of sentence is called Life in that country
and there won't be any howls of derision about a death sentence from Amnesty International now because hey -being encased in concrete and tossed in the sea is not really much of a murder now is it.....
Mirai Hayashi
After the murder of 8 people only 17 years? How many people do you have to kill to get life in prison. A true justice system doesn't exist in Japan, because this isn't justice!
100 CPM
"A true justice system doesn't exist in Japan, because this isn't justice!"
but why does it say all over the www, if other than JP commits a crime in JP the real law emerges? Therefore Japanese should be more lenient on its criminals and accept more gays, and do more, more and more, that they desire so that "great and dreadful day" can come sooner.
Alan Durham
Conspiracy to commit murder and murder are different. Also, the different degrees of murder hold different punishments. The man may not have been directly involved in said murders. That is to say, he didn't hold the knife. He may also have been coerced by his mother like many of her victims. So 17 years is debatable, but definitely not ridiculous.
Amidalism
Hopefully this scumbag follows in her footsteps. 17 years is far too short for these crimes.