Crime American and his family killed in Saitama

This is a really sad case: on Christmas day, an American who'd been living in Japan since 1974, along with his wife and daughter, was battered to death by a hikikomori living in their neighbourhood. It seems the man held a grudge against the family unbeknownst to any of them.

The perpetrator was arrested on the same day.

Of all the places to die of this kind of violence, talk about rarer than rare. If this had been in the U.S. it would have barely made the papers.

mdchachi said:

Of all the places to die of this kind of violence, talk about rarer than rare. If this had been in the U.S. it would have barely made the papers.

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Only because all the papers went out of business. Maybe it's just my newsfeed, but there's plenty of coverage for all the death and violence of late. Thinking I might be due for a media cleanse, but that may not be possible.

The Japanese media reported that the accused lived alone in the former family home in Hanno, Saitama. When his parents divorced, he, his father and his sister stayed in the house; later, both his father and sister moved out. He was looked after by his father, who visited once a week. Sometime last year, the Bishop family must have come on his radar: he started to damage their car several times and was arrested three times but always released due to lack of evidence, although he was allegedly caught on the Bishops' security camera.



Megumi Sophianna Morita visited her parents on Christmas Day and died of neck injuries.

nice gaijin said:

Only because all the papers went out of business. Maybe it's just my newsfeed, but there's plenty of coverage for all the death and violence of late. Thinking I might be due for a media cleanse, but that may not be possible.

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You may think so but what you see is probably a drop in the bucket. How many of the three or more deaths on this list have you heard about?

Meanwhile, the police have identified DNA found on the suspect's clothing to all three victims. Saito Jun denies involvement and claims he does not recall what happened.

The suspect in the deaths of three family members last month at a residence in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, has denied killing them, police said Wednesday. DNA from blood found on clothing confiscated from the home of the suspect, Jun Saito, 40, matches that of all three victims, police also said, adding they suspect it was worn by Saito at the time of the crime.

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Yesterday, Saito Jun was sentenced to life in prison for killing three neighbours at their home in Hanno, Saitama Prefecture, on Christmas Day 2022. He was convicted of beating to death William Ross Bishop Jr., 69, an American national, his wife Izumi Morita, 68, and their eldest daughter Sophianna Megumi Morita, 32. The house was later set on fire.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty. A lay judge panel at the Saitama District Court instead imposed a life sentence, ruling that Saito was in a state of diminished capacity at the time of the killings.

Under Japan's Criminal Law, a defendant's punishment may be reduced if the defendant is found to have diminished responsibility. The court found Saito fit to stand trial. Judges also acknowledged that he had psychological problems. Defence lawyers had argued for a not guilty verdict, saying he was legally insane because of those conditions.