Japan executes murderer dubbed ‘The Twitter killer' who dismembered nine people in his home
Shiraishi lured his victims, most of whom had posted suicidal thoughts on social media, before murdering them. He was also convicted of sexually abusing female victims.
The execution comes as calls for the abolition of capital punishment in Japan continue to grow. This debate has intensified following the acquittal last year of Iwao Hakamada, who had been the world's longest-serving death-row inmate.
Shiraishi was hanged at the Tokyo Detention House in high secrecy with nothing disclosed until the execution was done.
Police arrested him in 2017 after finding the bodies of eight females and one male in cold-storage cases in his apartment.
Investigators said Shiraishi approached the victims via Twitter, offering to assist them with their suicidal wishes. He killed the eight women, including teenagers, after raping them, and also killed a boyfriend of one of the women to silence him.
Japan's suicide rate ranks among the world's highest. Following a recent decline, the number has climbed back this year as people were hit by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan's crime rate is relatively low, but it has seen some high-profile mass killings in recent years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘I don't regret it': Duo arrested after decapitating roommate and confessing to their alleged crime
Two men have been arrested after allegedly killing their Army veteran roommate, dismembering him and scattering his body parts along a New Mexico highway. Rainor Joiner, 23, and David Degroat, 22, both originally from Georgia, are accused of killing their roommate, 25-year-old West Virginia native Matthew McLaughlin, the Taos County Sheriff's Office said. Joiner and Degroat have been charged with first-degree murder and other related felonies. 'I did it, I f****** him, and I don't f****** regret it,' one of the suspects reportedly told cops after the killing, according to local outlet KOB. The three men met while serving in the same unit of the Army at Fort Benning, Georgia. However, authorities say Joiner and Degroat allegedly had active warrants for desertion from the Army. After McLaughlin was reported missing on July 31, authorities obtained a search warrant for his home and detained his roommates for questioning. Authorities say Joiner confessed to deputies that he shot McLaughlin with Degroat's help. Joiner claimed that they dismembered McLaughlin's body and tossed bags containing his remains along U.S. Highway 64, near Tres Piedras, about 80 miles north of Santa Fe. The human remains were positively identified as McLaughlin. After confessing, Joiner told authorities he planned to kill Mclaughlin because he had been spreading rumors about him, using drugs, and bringing strangers into their home, according to court documents obtained by KOAT. Joiner said he and Degroat ambushed McLaughlin, and authorities believe the shooting happened on July 25. "[Joiner] admitted he shot the individual with a rifle and then again with a pistol then subsequent days later he continued to dismember the victim," Taos County Sheriff's Office Undersheriff Gabriel Ortiz said. "The individual was very much non-remorseful. No emotions, just a kind of blank face and told them [deputies] exactly what he did and didn't have any emotions at all." Degroat told investigators that Joiner shot McLaughlin three times before dismembering his body. He then forced Degroat to hold open a bag as he put the body parts inside, KOB4 reported. Friends and loved ones of McLaughlin described him as a 'sweet, kind person,' whose murder 'doesn't make sense.' They said police told them they believed the killing was premeditated weeks in advance, according to KOB4.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The suspect in a car-ramming attack on a German Christmas market is charged with murder
BERLIN (AP) — The suspect in a deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has been charged with murder, attempted murder and bodily harm, prosecutors said Tuesday, claiming he was trying to kill as many people as possible. Five women and a boy died, and many more people were wounded, in the Dec. 20 attack that lasted just over a minute. Authorities have identified the suspect as a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency. They haven't officially released his name, in keeping with German privacy rules. In an indictment filed to the state court in Magdeburg, prosecutors say he is charged with six counts of murder, 338 counts of attempted murder and 309 counts of bodily harm. He is also accused of dangerous interference with road traffic. Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. The Magdeburg court will decide whether to send the case to trial. Prosecutors said the man wasn't under the influence of alcohol and apparently carried out the attack 'out of dissatisfaction and frustration with the course and outcome of a civil law dispute and the failure of various criminal complaints.' They said he aimed to kill as many people as possible and had spent several weeks planning the attack, without accomplices or anyone else knowing about his plans. The attack was carried out with a rented BMW X3, which reached speeds of up to 48 kph (30 mph) during the rampage. Officials have said the suspect doesn't fit the usual profile of perpetrators of extremist attacks. The man described himself as an ex-Muslim who was highly critical of Islam and on social media expressed support for the far-right. The suspect had previously come to authorities' attention for threatening behavior but wasn't known to have committed any violence.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Suspect in car-ramming attack on German Christmas market charged with murder
The suspect in a deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has been charged with murder, attempted murder and bodily harm, prosecutors said. Five women and a boy died, and many more people were wounded, in the December 20 attack that lasted just over a minute. Authorities have identified the suspect as a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency. They have not officially released his name, in keeping with German privacy rules. In an indictment filed to the state court in Magdeburg, prosecutors say he is charged with six counts of murder, 338 counts of attempted murder and 309 counts of bodily harm. He is also accused of dangerous interference with road traffic. Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. The Magdeburg court will decide whether to send the case to trial. Prosecutors said the man was not under the influence of alcohol and apparently carried out the attack 'out of dissatisfaction and frustration with the course and outcome of a civil law dispute and the failure of various criminal complaints'. They said he aimed to kill as many people as possible and had spent several weeks planning the attack, without accomplices or anyone else knowing about his plans. The attack was carried out with a rented BMW X3, which reached speeds of up to 30 mph during the rampage. Officials have said the suspect does not fit the usual profile of perpetrators of extremist attacks. The man described himself as an ex-Muslim who was highly critical of Islam and on social media expressed support for the far-right. The suspect had previously come to authorities' attention for threatening behaviour but was not known to have committed any violence.
