Japan's ‘Twitter Killer’ sentenced to death for killing and dismembering nine victims

Japan’s high-profile criminal dubbed as ‘Twitter Killer’ who dismembered at least nine victims, all of whom were women, was sentenced to death over 2017 serial murders on December 14. According to sources of Japan Times, Japanese court sentenced 30-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi who brutally murdered and later butchered de bodies of ‘suicidal people' that he met online.

killer was charged with first count of homicide for luring women d between 15 and 26 to his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo, where he attacked m with weapons and stashed  pieces of ir bodies in a freezer. His lawyer, however, in criminal’s defense argued that he murdered those that consented to killing. And refore, he appealed to court to order life imprisonment inste of death penalty. 

However, Presiding Judge Naokuni Ya ruled that nine victims h t ‘consented’ to killing and may t have been in a mentally sound state. But Shiraishi was mentally fit to be held accountable for murders, judge said in verdict, ding that crime was extremely ‘vicious’. While killer pleed guilty to crimes, defense lawyers presented texts of victims on Twitter account that he operated that translates to “hangman” as ‘tactic’ approval to victims’ death wishes. 

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['Twitter Killer' Japanese account. Credit: Twitter/@teddyeugene]

Victims 'resisted'

Prosecutor, however, dismissed appeal citing how unsafe social media platform h become. In trial, Judge said that Shiraishi's testimony was false as all his victims resisted when he strangled m, and he was criminally liable. Twitter Killer was also subjected to psychiatric testing in September 2018 and was declared mentally fit ahe of indictment. 

According to NHK, Twitter Killer me account in March 2017 to contact vulnerable women who were contemplating suicide. He saw m as ‘easy targets’ and manipulated m by promising that he would kill himself alongside victims. His bio on his Twitter account re, "I want to help people who are really in pain. Please DM [direct mess] me anytime."

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(Im Credit: AP)