Tokyo
CNN
—
Japan executed on Friday a man dubbed the “Twitter killer,” who was convicted of murdering and dismembering nine people, mostly women, after contacting them on social media, according to the country’s justice minister.
The execution is the first use of capital punishment in the country in nearly three years.
Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was sentenced to death in 2020 after pleading guilty to killing the nine people in a what was a high-profile mass murder case that gripped the nation.
He was found guilty in December 2020 of murdering, raping and dismembering the nine victims, and storing their bodies in his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa prefecture, on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Shiraishi was arrested in October 2017 after police searched his home to investigate the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had expressed suicidal thoughts on social media, including Twitter.
Three cooler boxes and five containers were found in Shiraishi’s room, containing human heads and bones with the flesh scraped off, according to TV Asahi, citing police sources.
The nine victims – eight women and one man – were aged between 15 and 26, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK and CNN affiliate TV Asahi, which both cited court proceedings.
The victims had posted online that they wanted to kill themselves, and were subsequently contacted by Shiraishi through social media platforms, NHK and TV Asahi reported.
“This case, driven by selfish motives such as sexual and financial gratification, resulted in the deaths of nine individuals over two months – a deeply serious incident that has caused shock and anxiety across society. I understand it is an especially heartbreaking case for both the victims and their families,” Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki told reporters Friday at a press conference.
Shiraishi’s execution is the first the country has seen since July 2022, NHK reported. In Japan, the death penalty is delivered by hanging, with execution dates not made public until after the penalty is carried out.
“The death sentence was finalized following a thorough trial process. After careful and deliberate consideration of all factors, I issued the execution order,” Suzuki said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
