crime

Man sentenced to death for double murder in 2004

10 Comments

A 46-year-old man was sentenced to death on Wednesday for the 2004 murders of a company president and his wife in Izumi, Osaka Prefecture.

The Osaka District Court ruled that Katsuaki Suzuki, an employee at a construction company, murdered Kenji Asai, 74, former president of a textiles company, and his wife Kiyo, 73, at their home in Izumi in 2004, TV Asahi reported. Their bodies were discovered in steel drums behind a vehicle found in a garage in Hannan City in 2009. Suzuki was arrested after his fingerprints matched those found in the vehicle. Suzuki was the last man to rent the parking space in 2004. He paid one month's rent for the garage and never returned the key nor was he able to be reached by the manager.

The court heard that Suzuki was acquainted with the pair, and that he beat them to death with a blunt instrument over a money dispute.

The verdict was handed down by six lay judges and three professional judges.

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10 Comments
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Barbaric justice. Japan and the US are so wrong on this. Sends the message that killing people is "sometimes okay". Pathetic for a modern democracy.

-10 ( +6 / -16 )

I respect the decision of the (lay) judges.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Unless someone in your family is murdered. I'd like to hear what your response would be to that.....

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I disagree, kill someone, and get killed back. eye for an eye imho.

The problem with the deathpenalty and Japan is that, THERE are a lot of people who have been convicted innocently. Govinda Mainali spings to mind. Imagine if he got the deathpenalty and 19 years later they find out he was innocent.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

I disagree Spudman. If my wife or children were ever to fall victim to some of the savage and depraved attacks we often read about then I would want the person(s) guilty of it put to death. Better to remove such people from the world than pay USD$200k per year to imprison them and risk they some day get out and harm others.

In this case, if there is overwhelming evidence that Suzuki battered two elderly people to death over a money dispute, why should society pay large sums to maintain him for decades & allow him the opportunity to continue life. I assume in prison he would get to see his family during visits, take up education opportunities and might some day get released. How do the family of those mudered feel? Every paycheck, you would know some is going to pay room and board for the person who murdered your family members. Every birthday. Every new year etc.

I think that with some crimes it is better for society to simply remove those responsible. Do it humanely. Not for revenge. Like putting a ferocious dog to 'sleep' that has attacked people and can never be trusted again.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

If my wife or children were ever to fall victim to some of the savage and depraved attacks, then I would feel a desire for revenge, and I would probably feel an irrepressible urge to beat their brains out if I could.

But so what? I covet other people's possessions, and have various other desires that I do not act out, nor would I want society to act out on my behalf.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

How can you trust the Japanese justice system on this after Govinda Mainali? Guess nobody has other choice.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Spudman said: Barbaric justice. Japan and the US are so wrong on this. Sends the message that killing people is "sometimes okay". Pathetic for a modern democracy.

....................

The death penalty does not act as a deterrent to people planning to commit a capital crime. However, what it does do is keep these pieces of human trash from murdering again if they happen to be released from prison. How many times have we heard of criminals being released and doing the same crime again?? Perfect example: Recent case in Florida where a pedophile was released and what did he do? Raped and murdered a little girl.

That would never have happened if this piece of trash was put down like a dog that he is in the first place.

Turn the other cheek, rehabilitation of criminals, criminals have rights...all a loud of garbage. Anyone who murders, rapes, or commits any crime against children should be put down like dogs. Barbaric???? Maybe but I'll sleep a lot better at night knowing there are fewer pieces of trash living amongst us.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Tough decision to invoke the death penalty or not. Not an easy choice, but in my opinion, I think the death penalty should be reserved for only the worst of the worst crimes that involve children or prolonged torture including murder. Still, tough decision.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

lot of eye for an eye responses here and at a personal level that emotion is understandable, but it is not fail safe and innocents have been wrongly convicted and killed by the state. What society wants to accept they they, each individual citizen is complicit (by non resistance) to state sanctioned murder? Not me.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

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