crime

More details emerge over murder of girl on mountain

26 Comments
By Preston Phro

More details have come to light over a murder case in Hiroshima Prefecture involving at least two high school girls – one of whom was the victim – and the communication smartphone app Line.

The body of the 16-year-old high school girl was found in the mountains outside of Kure City on July 13, after an ex-classmate was taken by her family to the police to turn herself in.

Though the deceased had posted pictures of herself and her alleged murderer, depicting them as close friends, on her blog earlier this year, it seems that there had been friction between the pair for some time.

In an interview with another classmate who knew the arrested girl well, the alleged murderer had often said she’d been betrayed and that the deceased owed her 30,000 yen. In the interview, it was also revealed that the girl had said repeatedly in the past that she wanted to kill her ex-classmate.

The suspect had dropped out of school and was unemployed.

Though she is reported to have confessed to the murder, many details remain unclear. Line, the popular free messaging smartphone app, is playing a large role in the case as it seems that the suspect sent a message to some friends shortly before her arrest, saying that she initially wanted to run, but after talking with two people (whose names have been censored) decided to confess everything. She apologized in advance in case she were to end up betraying her friends during questioning.

Police suspect that a third person is involved due partly to the content of the Line messages and partly to some conflicting details in the girl’s confession.

During her initial questioning, the suspect stated that she and the deceased took a taxi to the mountains, but later claimed that they had driven from Hiroshima City’s shopping district in someone else’s car. As both of the girls were only 16, neither of them would have legally been able to drive, thus begging the question of who drove. So far, the suspect has refused to answer that question.

In addition to the issue of the driver, a mysterious Line message the girl sent before her arrest seems to reinforce the idea that there was a third party involved. Sent to a recipient named simply “Friend,” the message read, “I’m going to get arrested now.”

Though details of the case are not yet completely clear, it seems that after a heated argument in the wilderness, the girl attacked her classmate, punching her and choking her to death. She then moved the body a few hundred meters into the mountains.

Sources: NHK, Sankei News, Zakzak, Asahi Shinbun Digital, Yahoo! News Japan

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Man Arrested for Cutting Off Women’s Clothing While They Slept -- Elementary School Girl Killed by Own Abusive Mother -- Police Provide Murderer With Victim’s Address

© RocketNews24

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26 Comments
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Hats off to JapanToday. This is a rare followup to a very vague piece of news. Good job.

She is a minor and won't be in jail for very long. The frightening part is to see how things can escalate so quickly with teenagers. Anyone who is not moved by these details probably is not a parent...

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Teenage girls are volcanos of all kinds of emotion, just waiting to erupt. My own's fifteen, and some of her sulks and rages are unbelievable. Too many hormones swilling around a still-developing brain. : (

7 ( +8 / -2 )

@akbfan

are we reading the same article? they were using Line, a j-SNS.

16 so she'll probably spend about five years in detention/prison for her crime. doesn't seem fair at all.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

It's interesting how much of a big deal is being made about the fact that these messages were sent via LINE. It's the first word in the on-screen headlines on all the major news shows. It's a pertinent detail of course, but it just seems like, only because it's so enormously popular right now, the news shows are kind of saying "LOOK WHAT CAN HAPPEN WITH THIS SCARY NEW TECHNOLOGY IF WE'RE NOT CAREFUL."

4 ( +4 / -0 )

We can put the blame on Line, Twitter, FB, whatever, but they are the actual sites that solve quite a bit of these so-called 'mysteries'. We pay for progress but, would be much harder to solve these murder cases without DNA and social media services! There is a good and bad side to everything, depends on which side people prefer to stay on!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Epic news right here.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

She apologized in advance in case she were to end up betraying her friends during questioning.

I.e., tipping off the accmplice.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@lucabrasi

Something tells me the high school drop-out has some other issues besides hormones

2 ( +3 / -1 )

My adult students were all abuzz about this today. They don't have a very high opinion of Japanese youth. It's sometimes hard to refrain from saying "but you're the ones who raised them!"

2 ( +3 / -1 )

What's the size difference of the suspect and the victim? For a 16 year old girl to move someone on rough terrain in this heat she must be either physically fit, much larger than the victim or had help. Dead weight is heavier than people imagine. having to carry an unconscious person takes a lot of effort. A body is no different.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Looks like there were 5 people at the mountain including 2 males.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I agree, FB, twitter and the like are tools. What people get up to with them is the potential problem. It would seem this girl has more personality issues than a FB frenemy. Tragic, two young lives ruined.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The TV news is reporting that six more people, including one who is 21, have been arrested in the case. It, at this point, looks very much as though all of them participated in assaulting the victim and in abandoning her body. As more details are released, the case is becoming increasingly horrifying.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Very mysterious saga of tragedy.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

As both of the girls were only 16, neither of them would have legally been able to drive, thus begging the question of who drove.

While it is certainly possible the girls got a ride from someone else, it is also possible that a girl considering murder would not have many qualms about driving illegally.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Well Line will be blamed somehow I think - kind of like how facebook gets blamed for many things.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

My adult students were all abuzz about this today. They don't have a very high opinion of Japanese youth. It's sometimes hard to refrain from saying "but you're the ones who raised them!"

Let's just it isn't it. The adults all complain about how poorly behaved "youths of today are" but fail to understand that this is because of THEM!!

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

"With friends like these, who needs enemies." RIP.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What could be going on in a 16-year-old girl's life that would inspire her to commit a violent murder?

Nessie:

I.e., tipping off the accmplice.

Indeed. Just a matter of time before the police make her crack and give up the accomplice. It will be interesting to see if they're over 20, then tried as an adult. Ironic if they end up serving a longer sentence than the 16-year-old girl.

SauloJpn:

Anyone who is not moved by these details probably is not a parent...

I'm not a parent, but I'm certainly disturbed by this story.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It almost sounds by some of the tone of the article that Line is 'involved' in the crime, instead of them uncovering more details THANKS TO Line and messages sent through it. They can thank the tech for shedding a bit more light on the case, not blame it.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

In the interview, it was also revealed that the girl had said repeatedly in the past that she wanted to kill her ex-classmate.

If you HEAR that, won't you think something like "Hmmm maybe I should warn that girl, her friend is insane in the membrane?" sigh

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

sounds like a movie in the making

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

They still don't know the name of the murdered girl!

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

"Facebook Friends". What a complete misnomer. I can't count the number of people I know who have gone from not knowing each other to best friends to worst enemies online.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

I know who this "girls" look like. Straightened hair, pink/black fluffy jumpers and ugly hello kitty sandals....usually having 2 kids by the age of 19. And that`s how she will end up after serving few years in a reformatory.

The article and TV as well are mentioning the drivers license, which I understand for the fact that it indicates that there was another person involved. Which also means this person need to be held responsible. But nobody mentions the parents of this two girls. Why are they wondering the street in the middle of the night in the first place.

Is there a term for Japanese wight trash?

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

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