Police to formally charge Ichihashi with Hawker's murder

Good. It is about time.

He is eating his obentos regularly now and asking for sweet things his lawyers. He said that the prison food was not enough and wants to eat anpan and chocolate. He moves from not eating to overeating.

He said that the prison food was not enough and wants to eat anpan and chocolate. He moves from not eating to overeating.

whatever happened to hardtack and swill?

I'm sure he'll get the Japanese court's murder/dismemberment special: 2 years hardcore.

I hope all you who whined about the initial "abandoning of a corpse" charge take notice. Scratch that...I hope it sinks in deep so we don't have to hear your conspiracy crap again.

whatever happened to hardtack and swill?

His lawyers provide additional food to him. He asked especially for sweet stuff.

I guess we just wait for the wheels of justice to slowly grind now...

they always charge em with a nominal crime here when they pick them up because they want time to get the confession before charging him with the banger. now that he is living the high life eating anpan maybe he will talk. it would be nice to get this over. lets just hope he gets a significant sentence.

I hope all you who whined about the initial "abandoning of a corpse" charge take notice. Scratch that...I hope it sinks in deep so we don't have to hear your conspiracy crap again.

Charging him is the easy part. They can charge him with anything they want, but if they can't make it stick then he's good to go. Personally, I think this "evidence" they have is flimsy at best. CCTV from an elevator? Wow. And the stairs aren't a reasonable option because...?

They can charge him with anything they want, but if they can't make it stick then he's good to go.

Good grief! They found her corpse in his apartment. Who's he going to blame it on? The one-armed man from "The Fugutive"?

I think we can assume the charge will stick. The "evidence" they have is that she was found beaten and strangled in his apartment, and he bought materials to dispose of the body. Do you honestly think they will let him off because he hasn't admitted to it or because noone saw him do it?

Yay! Let's hope that police and prosecutors get this one right.

Don't know how flimsy the evidence is in this case. If the cops have any brains at all, they will keep an ace in the hole for the trial. Indeed, they must have something if they can convince the prosecutors to go with the murder charge. Given the high profile nature of this case, there is going to be a fair bit of pressure within the government to get a strong result on this. Furthermore, the police/prosecutors needs a conviction to help dispel the image that foreign victims don't get justice in Japan. Anything less than a murder conviction will not sit well with a number of foreign governments, who over the years have criticized the locals for their lack of enthusiasm in tracking down criminals in cases where the victims of crime have been non-Japanese.

Good grief! They found her corpse in his apartment. Who's he going to blame it on? The one-armed man from "The Fugutive"?

Do they have proof that HE killed her? However small the chance is, it is possible that there could have been other people involved. Maybe he was just an accessory/accomplice. CCTV from an elevator isn't all-telling. I would bet that as much as they want to nail him, they're going to be careful after that botched DNA prosecution.

Like the article says, they just need a reason to hold him longer because his 23-day-period-of-being-held-with-no-official-charge will be up on Wednesday.

Good. But I won't be satisfied until he gets the conviction for the murder, and a lengthy sentence. The proof is tenuous at best, and I hope they get a confession or it's entirely possible the guy will be looking at not much more than a year or two in the klink, if that.

Concerning smithinjapans year or two in the klink, that would cause CONSIDERABLE noise from the HAWKERS and others, I'm sure. Isn't there some law prohibiting anpan and chocolate given to people in the jails? If not there should be. They should be on a strict diet of nattto (which I like by the way, but those in kansai area do not), and squid.

Did the lawyer say Ichihashis claiming that Lindsey improperly used his outdoor "sand" bath? And, obviously, he didn't even have a manager to call at the time... Whats a killer to do?

I hope to GOD they have enough to convict him because if he walks there is going to be international outrage - more so than there is already.

As for those jabbering away about the body... That doesn't prove he killed her. Any twit should be able to understand that. They need proof that he was the one that killed her, not that she was found on his balcony.

Finally they charge him! Now, this is good news. :)

People on this chat page are so paranoid. Ichihashi will definitely go to jail for murder. Do you think that just because he's not talking means he's going to be a free man? I'm glad some of you are not judges or jury members or no one would ever go to jail.

Exactly natto, the evidence we know about alone would convict, notwithstanding everything else in the room of the murder. In the US, murderers get convicted and executed on a fraction of this evidence. There is video proof that he and hawkins entered his room, no one else entered afterwards, and she was found dead and buried inside. When investigators came, he fled. Any autopsy is going to show she was murdered. It will probably show a lot more than that, and so will his room. That hasn't been released to the public, but it won't stop psychic armchair commentators from speculating about it.

tmarie balcony's are located outside, right?

In the US, murderers get convicted and executed on a fraction of this evidence.

Some do, some don't. Did you ever hear about the OJ Simpson trial? If you want to bring the US justice system into this, technically defendants can only be found guilty if their guilt is proven "beyond a doubt." This case still has doubts.

There is video proof that he and hawkins entered his room, no one else entered afterwards

Read the article again. It says that the CCTV is from the elevator, not in front of his room. Someone could still use the stairs.

I'm not saying he didn't kill her. I think he did. But you have to prove that beyond a doubt in a court of law. Otherwise it becomes "burn the witch" village mob justice. Unless the j-cops have a few aces up their sleeves, their current evidence won't cut it. Then again, this is Japan. Justice is a joke and prosecutors will simply commit who they want, especially due to the international pressure.

It is not "beyond a doubt" it is "beyond reasonable doubt". Very few convictions in any country have been based on better evidence than what seems to be available here. Eye-witnesses are unreliable and confessions can be false (coerced or otherwise)

Assuming the police have nothing which has not been publicly disclosed they still have multiple witnesses and security cameras showing the victim and suspect arrived together within a few meters from a place where she was found murdered two days later, that is the suspects apartment, and quite obviously where she must have been killed. Nobody or no-thing saw her alive since.

Autopsy confirms she was indeed deliberately killed (no accident)

The massive piece of DNA evidence, namely Hawker's whole body in suspect's apartment. In the OJ Simpson's case the defense successfully alleged that a racist police officer might have planted the most incriminating physical evidence. It was wild stretch even in that case, but here it would require that the police would have brought the whole body there. That does not sound reasonable to me.

An attempt had been started to destroy the body, using material the suspect had bought after Ms Hawker had died.

When the police came to question the suspect two days later he was nearly arrested within few meters from the place where the body lay hidden before managing to run away.

Assuming the information available in public is not horrendously false the guy is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.

The massive piece of DNA evidence, namely Hawker's whole body in suspect's apartment.

Not true! They found Hawker outside, in a common space, accessible by anyone.

Very few convictions in any country have been based on better evidence than what seems to be available here.

What evidence? Body found on apt landing next to his front door. Where or what is this massive evidence that the guy did the killing?

Moderator: Please do not post inflammatory remarks.

The massive piece of DNA evidence, namely Hawker's whole body in suspect's apartment.

Not true! They found Hawker outside, in a common space, accessible by anyone.

Based on news reporting they found it on Ichihashi's balcony, in Ichihashi's bathtub that he had (based on reports by neighbors) likely dragged there after Hawker was killed. The police found the body only after entering the apartment

If you have dead (strangled) body of person you have been seen to take into your apartment, on your balcony, in your bathtub that is filled with material you have just bought from your local shop and you ran away when police drop by, then "maybe Santa Claus did it" is not a decent defence.

Based on news reporting they found it on Ichihashi's balcony, in Ichihashi's bathtub that he had (based on reports by neighbors) likely dragged there after Hawker was killed.

What? "likely"= speculation

The police found the body only after entering the apartment

Hawkers Body found outside apt next to door.

If you have dead (strangled) body of person you have been seen to take into your apartment,

false again

"maybe Santa Claus did it"

Wrong again, no chimney...

Personalty I believe that scumbag is guilty, but I would like to see real proof of his guilt.

So, what's the latest? He's on the news now, so I guess they formally arrested him for the murder today?

Hawkers Body found outside apt next to door.

That is not what the news a reporting (latest: http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/ichihashi-indicted-on-charges-of-abandoning-hawkers-body ) or what it has looked like on TV shots. Police (or neighbors) would have found the body already earlier if what you say were true. It wasn't even completely covered. You have any source for your claim?

If you have dead (strangled) body of person you have been seen to take into your apartment,

false again

She was last seen getting out of elevator with Ichihashi on the floor of his appartment. Where do you think they were going?

but I would like to see real proof of his guilt.

With your personal burden of proof standard there would be no convictions, except perhaps based on confessions tortured out from suspects. Luckily that is not the standard the courts use.

Apparently they have found something (I could give a guess...) to add rape charge to the mix, but even without that this was a clear case.