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The Tokyo High Court has turned down an appeal by a 27-year-old man sentenced to life in prison for killing a 7-year-old girl in Niigata City in 2018.
The Niigata District Court on Dec 4, 2019, convicted Haruka Kobayashi of killing Tamaki Omomo on May 7, 2018, and sentenced him to life in prison. Prosecutors had sought the death sentence.
The appellate court turned down the appeal on Thursday, saying there were no extenuating circumstances, and upheld the Niigata court’s ruling. Kobayashi's lawyer had appealed the ruling, seeking a shorter sentence, claiming there was no premeditation to kill the girl.
According to the ruling, Kobayashi hit Omomo with his car while she was on her way home from school. He then put her in the car, molested her and strangled her to death. Between 10:20 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., he placed her body on a railway track to make it appear as though she had been killed by a train.
Kobayashi failed to show up that day at the electrical engineering company where he worked and sent an email in the late afternoon saying that he was feeling unwell. He never returned to his place of employment, according to the company president.
He was arrested one week later on suspicion of murder.
Kobayashi, who lived in the same neighborhood as the victim, initially told police that his car "collided" with the child. But an autopsy found she had been strangled to death. Brown paint from Omomo's backpack was also found on Kobayashi's car.
Kobayashi emerged as a possible suspect from an early stage of the investigation as he had been referred to prosecutors one month prior to the murder over an alleged violation of the prefecture's juvenile protection ordinance after driving around with a female junior high school student in his car.
© Japan Today
31 Comments
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Spitfire
How dare this piece of faeces even appeal the initial ruling.
I hope this scumbag rots in hell.
In this case a life sentence will be more more appropriate than the death penalty since he obviously doesn't have the fortitude to embrace his penalty.
Fighto!
The scum absolutely should have been executed. There is no greater crime that warrants the most serious penalty than what he did. I hope every second of his already worthless time on earth is in horror, day and night.
Rest in Peace to little Tamaki.
Meiyouwenti
@zichi
If someone you love was sexually molested and brutally murdered, you might change your mind.
Kyo wa heiwa dayo ne
Life in prison is worse than the death penalty and more appropriate because he's not getting out and Japanese prison is a hell hole !
snowymountainhell
Finally, some consistency with these ‘life sentences’.
This ‘hit&run’/ child-abductor/ child-strangler / (*possible, ‘statutory rapist’) will be rotting for life along with the other ‘serial-stalker/ strangler/ necropheliac’ in this morning’s Crime’ section story.
Btw: That other convict still has an appeal coming for his recent life sentence.
purple_depressed_bacon
How did the lawyer think this would even fly in court? This mouthbreather is taking up space scum like him don't deserve. Hang him from the rafters and let the crows feast on his fetid flesh.
therougou
Sounds premeditated to me. This guy should've been sentenced to life in a garbage dump.
El Rata
I remember this case, one of my kids was was even afraid of going to Niigata for a while because of the wrongdoings of that monster. What surprises me the most is the lack of rope around Haruka's neck and the lack of 'visits' from the father of the girl to the monster's family, you gnomesayin'.
Numan
A life sentence is better than death. Let him suffer and think about why he is there until he dies.
snowymountainhell
Before we’re continued to be asked to shed tears for ‘others’,
let’s remember the murdered child, the only real victim here, first:
her name was TAMAKI OMOMO. She was 7 years old.
‘Public servants’ sworn to uphold the laws, like soldiers, police, rescue workers and even jailers, will sometimes suffer PTSD and other hazards of their ‘chosen vocations’. They all volunteer to be there to serve the greater good of society.
Jimizo
@snowymountainhell
Yes, we know the crime, the name of the child and her age.
We can read. We are not children.
No need for the bold.
This kind of overly emotional approach is unhelpful when discussing the death penalty. There is of course an emotional aspect involved, but ultimately it’s a moral question which needs to be discussed in a more rational manner.
It came across as a B movie lawyer’s speech.
I think we need calmer heads to discuss these kinds of issues.
Jimizo
It might sound a bit cold, but I don’t think the more emotional types are very useful in these discussions. I’ve got nothing against more emotional types, but they don’t really do well in this realm.
Their emotions overwhelm serious issues like the well-documented effect on executioners. Rational, calm people can take this into account.
Macho silliness is of no use either. Nobody can really know how they would deal with executing someone. Imagine if that executed person was later found to have been innocent.
starpunk
This sicko creep must be stoned. He's got a lotta nerve even asking for an appeal. He's lucky enough he got life in prison as it is!
He's got a lot of time to think over his evil crimes, how he threw his life away. A lot of time of emotional hell before goes to the hell in the next life.
The Avenger
I hope this scum never gets paroled.
albaleo
Is that not the point? I've heard politicians who push for the death penalty say thing such as, "How would you feel if it was your child?" I think we know how we'd feel, and if someone pointed a finger and said, "He did it.", we'd want to kill that person. But our behavior would be quite irrational - understandable but not rational. Mistakes have been made many times in history where the wrong person has been executed.
People who say things such as, "The scum absolutely should have been executed." and who have no direct connection to events, are the modern equivalent of witch burners.
painkiller
If there were ever a case where the perpetrator deserved the death penalty, this is unarguably one of them.
smithinjapan
Must have no soul to be that man's lawyer and try to plead it down:
"Honestly, judge... yes, he hit her, then molested her, and beat and strangled her to death, but come on! There was no intent to kill!"
Glad they upheld the sentence. I'm only disappointed they couldn't add to it.
Alongfortheride
Life in prison or 10 years in prison I think will not make any difference to this guys outcome. I have a feeling justice will take care of itself inside the prison walls.
falseflagsteve
I have to agree with Mr Zichi, I am totally against the death penalty. Let him rot inside, it won’t be pleasant.
TokyoHam
I don't think anyone would disagree that the world would be a better place without people like Haruka Kobayashi. I don't think it's fair to the rest of us that we have to pay to keep him alive for the next 50-60 years. It's not about emotion or revenge - logic dictates that he should be executed for his crimes. It saddens me that the judge(s?) didn't have the decency or fortitude to sentence him to death.
Mark
An EVIL with no conscious trying to escape and deny his demon acts, the court should have sentenced him to death and end his miserable journey.
Alex
So...it wasn't enough that this scum hit the little girl with his car? After doing so...while she was still ALIVE and could have been saved...he decided to molest her before finally killing her? A life sentence is too good for him. He should already be rotting in Hell. May that poor girl have found peace wherever she is now. Hard to read stories like this, about the monsters allowed to walk free among us and do such unspeakable things.
Alex
Agreed with TokyoHam and Mark. Even in prison, this sick murderer gets to live while the 7 year old whose life he destroyed and took no longer will. And letting him have ANY hope of getting out early...well, that's just one too many "hopes" for a future that this man does not deserve.
Michael Machida
Before anyone says Japan is a safety place, this guy should be sent to his final resting place no questions asked.