crime

Suspect arrested over murder of 80-year-old man in Kyoto

12 Comments

Kyoto Prefectural Police have arrested a 48-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of killing and robbing an 80-year-old man last month.

According to police, Shintaro Kobayashi lives in the same municipal housing complex in Nishikyo Ward as the victim, Takahiro Hirakida, Fuji TV reported. Kobayashi is accused of breaking into Hirakida’s apartment at around 5:30 p.m. on July 12, stabbing him in the neck and other parts of his body and stealing 80,000 yen in cash and several credit cards. The front door was locked and there were no signs that the apartment had been ransacked.

Police said that Hirakida consulted with officers at Nishikyo Police Station in mid-June about money problems he was having with Kobayashi.  

Police said that at the time of his arrest on Tuesday, Kobayashi had about 500,000 yen in cash in his apartment.

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12 Comments
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It's a horrible crime, don't get me wrong. But once again, I have to ask....whenever a person commits a crime and they happen to be unemployed, WHY stigmatize the unemployed by mentioning it, as if being unemployed makes you a criminal?

After all, if one is employed and commits a crime, you don't mention their employment status.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

You've been alive for over 80 years, you're getting ready to meet your Maker and die peacefully but just before that happens you get murdered by some punk for money. Life is so unfair.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

you don't mention their employment status…

That’s not true in general, in the news they usually bring it also in cases the criminal suspect is or was employed, maybe it’s sometimes omitted or gone lost in translation. But in general you are right, the employment status is not necessary to be included in that kind of news. A certain hidden stigmatization can be suspected and also surely is intended. In this case, that psycho would also have had money problems and killed if someone had given him before any job with 80,000¥ as outcome.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Sign of the times, very scary.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Sign of the times, very scary.

Except for the FACT that there is less crime, things are becoming safer and less "scary" by the year.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

People who commit crimes against the elderly are monsters.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Colombo would have issues with the door being locked. Did he have a key, or was he just caring?

Strange circumstances to this story.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

People who commit crimes against the elderly are monsters.

.. while people who commit crimes against children are angels ... and people who commit crimes against middle-aged are normal... please ...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Sven Asai

you don't mention their employment status…

That’s not true in general, in the news they usually bring it also in cases the criminal suspect is or was employed, maybe it’s sometimes omitted or gone lost in translation. But in general you are right, the employment status is not necessary to be included in that kind of news. A certain hidden stigmatization can be suspected and also surely is intended. In this case, that psycho would also have had money problems and killed if someone had given him before any job with 80,000¥ as outcome. Correct me if I am wrong mentioning once employment status in Japan goes way back as a way of saying you are a hard working contributor to society, and your employment status is your way of saying you are honorable regardless of the job you have. I think this goes along with mentioning the family name as anything negative give the family a bad name but that went way side because many people realized they had the same name.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How was he able to enter with the door locked?? a window? or an extra key?? RIP some crimes do really deserve the Death Penalty!!!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Crimes in Japan becoming more like America.

Not in the same quantity yet.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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