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Police said Wednesday that a 17-year-old youth has admitted fatally stabbing his mother and grandmother and then setting fire to their house in Shizuoka City.
According to police, flames were seen coming from a wooden three-story house at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, TBS reported. By the time firefighters extinguished the blaze, the 2nd and 3rd floors had been badly damaged. The two bodies were found on the third floor. Police said they had stab wounds to the chest. They were identified as Hideko Sugimoto, 50, and her mother Mitsue, 78, police said.
Sugimoto's 17-year-old son was found on the 1st floor, suffering from smoke inhalation. He was taken to hospital where he told police that he had stabbed his mother and grandmother and then set fire to house. So far, he has given no motive for his actions, TBS reported.
The boy's father and his older sister were not home at the time.
© Japan Today
26 Comments
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nath
Oh my, another kid killing their parents. Hopefully they pass that law to let minors be charged as adults soon.
Mirai Hayashi
tougher laws and penalties on youth crimes might help...maybe
CrazyJoe
Any case that goes to court are charged and treated as adults regardless of age. Many minors under 18 have been charged as adults in the past in Japan.
the-grouch
Why don't the remaining members of the family stab him (not lethally) and then torch him on fire. That way it's fair. Tgese crimes are getting far too common. In this godless country that people swear that a god is in everything, people really do some terrible things to piss off the gods they refer to. It's really senseless and cruel and I could not even think of doing this to my parents and continue living.
rickyvee
what's the point of passing tougher laws? so society can extract revenge?
whiskeysour
Life sentence please !!!!! Next is the father and older sister...... . If I was the father or sister I would make sure he stays in jail for a long long long long long long long & 200x long time.
Rounin78
Outrageous!
southsakai
Exactly what I was thinking, why should we extract revenge on this scum of a human being, killing the people that gave him life, his mother and grandmother.
No we should forgive this monster, feed him, cloth him. Make sure he gets proper mental treatment, we'll foot the tax bill for everything no worries there. And rehabilitate this kid so he can be fit to enter society again and work and start living a decent life. After all he deserves every right to be living, he is a human being!
Mistakes happen, everyone makes mistakes, killing your mother, parents, family members, no big deal, it's a terrible mistake, could not cope with the stress of modern day society so people have to kill so this makes things better you know.
How about these loosers just appreciate life, the greatest gift to be living. The greatest gift is to have a life so we can make something out of it no matter how difficult the challenges lie ahead. Earn your life.
Nah well these kids do the exact opposite. Disrespect life and destroy the life. Destroy other peoples life.
Just let the kids go free, make him better, forgive him cause revenge is not a good thing and his human rights is the most important thing right now, as a society we must protect HIS human rights! Forget about the people that actually gave him a life. Just forget em! His LIFE is utmost important. He's living right now so he's entitled to HUMAN Rights.
What about the dead, the murdered? well they are dead so they no longer have any HUMAN rights you know. It's now void for the dead who had their lives stolen and ripped from them.
And who knows, he could even be your new next door neighbour someday, we can show him unconditional love and he can meet the whole family and we can do BBQ together with the kids!
Amidalism
Anyone keeping count for this year? Sure has been a lot of this happening.
Elbuda Mexicano
Geez! What can make Japanese kids so messed up?? How in the world could this idiot fool snotty nosed 17 year old hate his family so much?? Maybe we will never know, anyway, RIP family members and this messed up kid, is already in a state of hell, and my guess he will burn in hell for a long, long time! Hang his little punk ass ASAP!
Crazedinjapan
I have sort of been keeping track, so far since the 21st there have been 8 acts of strange murder or death related instances.
I have been copying these stories to put on another blog so people can post their comments without being moderated.
nath
Wish I had a house with 3 floors.
supermonk7
Let me guess. He was mad because they told him to stop playing video games...
CrazyJoe
I did forget to mention that all cases that go to family court (家庭裁判所) (katei saibansho) are treated as minors.
Disillusioned
That's one every day this week. Talk about being on a roll! I am curious to know what percentage of murders in Japan are committed by family members.
WilliB
This "youth" should never be allowed to walk in society again. Alas, once again the lenient Japanese laws will protect him because he is so "young".
Yubaru
What law are you referring to? There is already a law on the books where minors can be charged and taken to adult court.
Since 2001 I believe it was, the law was changed to allow minors as young as 14 to be charged as adults.
Some 18- and 19-year-old minors, however, have been executed. In April 2008 a death sentence as given to a man who committed a rape and double murder when he was a minor. The man raped and killed a woman and strangled the woman’s baby daughter. In Japan there have been nine other cases of minors being sentenced to death. All were sentenced for murder; seven were 19; two were 18. Three murdered four people each; one murdered three, one murdered two; a and three murdered one person. One of the latter killed a policeman, took his gun and injured 16 others.
Tiger_In_The_Hermitage
Parents and schools need to work together to identify problem childern when their young and provide resolutions to childs needs as behavioural issues arise. What happened does sound very much like from the movies and hence violent movies should be censored.
Thunderbird2
Another drokked-up kid killing his parents. I really hope they find out why this is happening so much... and it only seems to be boys doing it.
I hope the little spugwit spends the left of his miserable life living a personal hell.
CrazyJoe
@Yubaru
What you're saying is correct but in Japan an execution is never carried out to minors under 20. They wait till they turn at least 20 for execution for crimes committed while they were minors. No person of age 18 or 19 has ever been executed under the present constitution.
Elbuda Mexicano
You are right CrazyJoe, Japan aint no South Carolina and aint no Mississippi! Check their history in hanging youths, mostly young Black boys, pathetic!
scoobydoo
Before passing judgement, it would be nice to know why he did it.
peace_zzz
@southsakai
if I lock u up in the room with this guy, will u dare? I could give u television to watch, food to eat and everything u want in the room. I'll bet he will stab u for no reason because he dare to stab his mother means he doesn't scare and care to anyone in this world. so he wouldn't mind to stab u, the person he doesn't know. That's why he is dangerous to live in society.
latienda
Censor or ban completely the violent movies. Violent movies can influence any ages violently and commit crime.
floranna
Again, everybody is SO smart, so quick to blame society, curse the skies for letting Japan "become like this". When something like this happens in another country, it does not get half as big echo as here. Why? Because cases like this are FEW in Japan. So when they happen - and they do/did/will happen, regardless of what you say - they just sound bigger.
chooch
@Matthew Simon
Why would we even have the distinction of child/adult if we're not going to use it? Is it okay to let a mature 12-year-old smoke? How about if an adult can have sex with a 13-year-old if she's especially keen? If not, then why would we charge kids as adults?
The fact is that children and teens are less cognitively developed and have poorer future time orientation. They are less likely to understand the consequences of their actions.
Am I suggesting the go free? No. Should we be consistent with the adult/child criminal categorization? Yes.