Japan’s ‘Twitter killer’ is sentenced to death for the murders of nine people

A Japanese co ur th ass entenced a man to death for killing and dismembering nine people, most of whom had posted suicidal thoughts on social media.

The Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court found Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the "Twitter killer," guilt y of killing, dismembering and storing the bodies of the victims in his flat in Zama, near Tokyo.

Shiraishi, 30, pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal his death sentence.

Police arrested Shiraishi in 2017 after finding the bodies of eight females and one male in cold-storage cases in his flat.

Investigators said Shiraishi approached the victims via Twitter, offering to assist them with their suicidal wishes.

He killed the women, including teenagers, after ra ping them, and also killed a boyfriend of one of the women to silence him, investigators said.

On Twitter, Shiraishi used the name "Hangman", promising to help his victims die and inviting them to his flat.

Although his defence lawyers argued he assisted the victims' suicidal wishes, Shiraishi later said he killed them without their consent.

In the ruling, presiding Judge Naokuni Yano said none of the victims agreed to be killed and Shiraishi was fully responsible for their deaths, according to media reports.

He said the crime was extremely heinous and had caused fear and concern in a society where social media have become an indispensable part of everyday life, NHK public television reported.

"None of the nine victims consented to be killed, including silent consent ," public broadcaster NHK quoted the judge as saying.

"It is extremely grave that the lives of nine young people were taken away. The dignity of the victims was trampled upon."

Shiraishi told the court last month that he did not plan to appeal against his sentence if found guilty. It was not immediately clear if that remained his plan.

The death penalty is carried out by hanging in Japan, which has more than 100 prisoners on death row.

Death row inmates are not told when they will be put to death until the day of their execution. Years usually pass b et ween sentencing and an execution being carried out.

The names of those Shiraishi murdered were withheld to protect their families’ privacy.

The father of one victim, aged 25, told the court last month that hewould"n ever forgive Shiraishi even if he dies", according to Japanese broadcaster NHK

"Even now, when I see a woman of my daughter's age, I mistake her for my daughter. This pain will never go away. Give her back to me," he had said.

Yesterday, the father of another victim, who was 17, told NHK the death sentence was "appropriate".

"I feel like I want to get revenge, but bereaved families can't do anything. I don't know how to vent my anger," he said.

The brother of a 25-year-old victim said his" heart died" when he heard Shiraishi's testimony.

"It didn't sound at all like he regretted it... It felt like I was being hurt with a sharp knife over and over again."

Japan's suicide rate ranks among the world's highest.