Latest news with #ShoichiSato
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Japan Today
Death sentence upheld for man over robbery-murder in Oita Prefecture
A Japanese high court has upheld the death sentence for a 40-year-old man convicted of robbery-murder in the 2020 killings of an elderly woman and her son at their house in Oita Prefecture. The Fukuoka High Court ruled Tuesday that the first-instance verdict against Shoichi Sato by the Oita District Court, which rejected his claim of innocence, was not unreasonable, stating that his "criminal liability is extremely severe and the death penalty cannot be avoided." Sato's defense, which had appealed on the grounds of factual error, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on the same day. Presiding Judge Koji Hiratsuka stated that the fact that blood from the female victim, Takako Yamana, was found in the trunk of Sato's car, strongly suggested that he was the perpetrator. Factoring in indirect evidence such as sock prints left at the crime scene that matched the shape of Sato's feet, the high court ruled that the first instance ruling that found the defendant responsible was not unreasonable. In past cases, even with no evidence of premeditation, there has been a tendency for the death penalty to be sought in cases where a strong intent to kill was demonstrated, and the manner of killing was deemed cruel. The court ruled that the first-instance ruling was justified in terms of punishment befitting the crime, and for creating deterrence, even if there was no acknowledgement that Sato had planned to commit murder at the time of the intrusion. According to the ruling, Sato fatally stabbed Yamana, a 79-year-old farmer, and her 51-year-old son Hiroyuki, a postal worker, multiple times with a knife and scissors on Feb. 2, 2020, at the house in Usa, stealing at least 54,000 yen. © KYODO
The Mainichi
7 days ago
- The Mainichi
Death sentence upheld for man over robbery-murder in southwest Japan
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) -- A Japanese high court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence for a 40-year-old man convicted of robbery-murder in the 2020 killings of an elderly woman and her son at their house in Oita Prefecture. The Fukuoka High Court ruled that the first-instance verdict against Shoichi Sato by the Oita District Court, which rejected his claim of innocence, was not unreasonable, stating that his "criminal liability is extremely severe and the death penalty cannot be avoided." Sato's defense, which had appealed on the grounds of factual error, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on the same day. Presiding Judge Koji Hiratsuka stated that the fact that blood from the female victim, Takako Yamana, was found in the trunk of Sato's car, strongly suggested that he was the perpetrator. Factoring in indirect evidence such as sock prints left at the crime scene that matched the shape of Sato's feet, the high court ruled that the first instance ruling that found the defendant responsible was not unreasonable. In past cases, even with no evidence of premeditation, there has been a tendency for the death penalty to be sought in cases where a strong intent to kill was demonstrated, and the manner of killing was deemed cruel. The court ruled that the first-instance ruling was justified in terms of punishment befitting the crime, and for creating deterrence, even if there was no acknowledgement that Sato had planned to commit murder at the time of the intrusion. According to the ruling, Sato fatally stabbed Yamana, a 79-year-old farmer, and her 51-year-old son Hiroyuki, a postal worker, multiple times with a knife and scissors on Feb. 2, 2020, at the house in Usa, stealing at least 54,000 yen ($366).
