crime

Top court upholds death penalty for 'black widow' serial killer

22 Comments

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It is imperative that she hang before old age takes her.

She must be made an example, lest generations of Japanese women see her as a role model.

3 ( +16 / -13 )

Her execution won't bring these men back.

Hopefully those left behind will take some solice from this, maybe even a sense that justice has been done.

If it makes one person reconsider the consequences for their actions and saves a life, then I see that as a positive.

1 ( +9 / -8 )

She’s getting old, it would be a terrible shame were she to die in prison instead being hanged. Hurry it up.

2 ( +13 / -11 )

Put those gallows to work..

What century are we living?

I don't necessarily disagree with the death penalty, but to actively cheer for its use is pretty morbid.

0 ( +12 / -12 )

She must be made an example, lest generations of Japanese women see her as a role model.

Little bit of a stretch here don't you think?

4 ( +10 / -6 )

Hang em High

-3 ( +8 / -11 )

The hag murdered 3 "persons" for the MONEY.

Cold-blooded murders. Let her remember those faces when she swings from the gallows pole.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

Little bit of a stretch here don't you think?

It's a suspended sentence

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

"Kakehi's lawyers had demanded earlier this month another psychiatric evaluation for her, claiming her dementia has gotten progressively worse, and she does not understand that she has been taking part in a criminal trial."

This is what concerns me. If she is indeed suffering from dementia, and doesn't understand the proceedings, then it may be a mistake to put such a person to death. I'm not necessarily against the death penalty per se, but to put someone to death that does not understand why she would be put to death, then that seems to be a problem to me.

At her age, it seems better (again, if her lawyer is telling the truth about her dementia) to keep her imprisoned. I know many would be outraged at the suggestion that she would still be alive while her victims aren't, but at the end of the day, I don't think living with advanced dementia is really a mercy.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Personally, I don’t support the death penalty. However, in a country that does have the death penalty these are the sort of crimes that it should be used for.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

State-sanctioned murder like this in a so-called developed nation is just barbaric and bizarre yet it is seemingly fully supported by the public.

Nowhere in this comment did I see any sympathy for the 3 dead men that put their love and faith into this monster of a person but instead being murdered by cyanide.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I don't see the point for multiple reasons.

If executing a murderer brought back their victims, by all means do it, but it doesn't.

If she isn't even aware of why she is being put to death, what are we accomplishing? Are we really putting that much stock in simple bloody vengeance?

Plus, even if we are just talking about severity of punishment and implementing the worst possible punisg, being forced to live for however many years in prison seems way worse to me than the death penalty.

Granted, my view of the prison system has always been that of reformation, not punishment anyway. It's the only way we get productive members of society back from a crime.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Nowhere in this comment did I see any sympathy for the 3 dead men that put their love and faith into this monster of a person but instead being murdered by cyanide.

Not supporting the death penalty is not the same as saying that crimes should not be punished, it is simply recognizing it is not an ethical position and bring no real benefits except satiate a thirst for revenge and violence from the society, something that is not exactly worth doing.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Deterrence to others is a big factor in sentencing, and countries that have capital punishment have populations that believe the threat of execution deters other murderers. @Expat, do you have Japan-specific stats that show capital punishment has no deterrent effect?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Capital punishment never had nor ever will have any deterrent effect. The only benefit is by shortening the time that the prisoner is kept in prison at taxpayers expense. As it costs 10 million yen a year to keep a person in prison.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

A quick drop with a short stop! Nothing less!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

PaulJune 30  10:12 pm JST

Capital punishment never had nor ever will have any deterrent effect. The only benefit is by shortening the time that the prisoner is kept in prison at taxpayers expense.

It deters that prisoner from killing again.

According to the latest ruling, Kakehi murdered her 75-year-old husband Isao Kakehi and common-law partners Masanori Honda, 71, and Minoru Hioki, 75, and tried to kill her acquaintance Toshiaki Suehiro by having them drink cyanide between 2007 and 2013

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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