crime

Murder suspect commits suicide in hospital

10 Comments

A woman who was arrested for murder has committed suicide in hospital in Fukuchi, Fukuoka Prefecture, police said Tuesday.

The woman, who has been named as 55-year-old Mayumi Fujimura, was accused of murdering her 78-year-old mother in February this year, Fuji TV reported. She had been admitted into the hospital in order to undergo a psychiatric examination before standing trial.

Fujimura was found hanged to death on Monday morning, police said, adding that all of the evidence suggests it was a suicide.

In a statement released to the media on Tuesday, the Fukuoka District Public Prosecutor's Office said: "The accused was not being detained by the District Public Prosecutor's Office at the time of the incident, so we cannot be held responsible. However, it is regrettable that the investigation has been hampered."

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10 Comments
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So a murder suspect for whom a psychiatrict exam was deemed necessary was not kept under suicide watch? Baffling.

The Prosecutor's Office statement is wrong on more level than one. Despicable.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

In hospital for a psychiatric examination yet able to kill herself.

Law enforcement:

The accused was not being detained by the District Public Prosecutor’s Office at the time of the incident, so we cannot be held responsible

As the hospital will deny responsibility - they're not gaolers after all - perhaps we should blame the mother.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

No win situation here. Sad. Security anyone?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Personally, I think Ms. Fujimura knew she was going to be found sane and be forced to stand trial. She probably deduced that killing your elderly mother because she didn't want the burdern of looking after her would not go over well with the jury and that she was looking at 10-plus years in prison. She saved herself a long stay in prison and the tax payers a big bill.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

surely there was a more secure location to do this psychiatric assesment - prison hospital? so if the prosecutor's office cannot be held responsible, should it be the prefectural police taken to task for not taking precautions?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

To all of you saying their shoild have been more security, are you really saying that som1 shouldnt have the right to end their life when they deem it no longer serves themselves or anyone else anymore? It's clear she was guilty

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"However, it is regrettable that the investigation has been hampered." Hampered??? I would have to say this pretty much brings it to a standstill.....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

After what he did to his Mom, he takes the COWARD'S WAY OUT!!

SHAME!!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The fact that she could hang herself in the hospital says something about the hospitals. I was an Registered Nurse for many years and as a Nurse we had to make rounds on people every hour with our assistants making rounds in between. If someone was on suicide watch we had to make rounds every 15 minutes and make sure they had nothing in the room with which they could commit suicide. People being held for a crime always had a guard at the door so they could not escape. Something is very wrong here.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

My uncle attempted suicide, failed and was hospitalized for his injuries. Once he regained enough strength, he called a taxi to the hospital in the middle of the night, walked out and was succesful the second time. I was outraged and couldn't understand how the hospital cannot be held accountable. But my family explained there is no 'suicide watch' in Japanese hospitals. I don't know how true/untrue it is but it still baffles me. Obvious this is a little different being that she was arrested for murder/undergoing pyschiatric evalution. That alone should of warranted some sort of security.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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