JAPAN’S ‘TWITTER KILLER’ TAKAHIRO SHIRAISHI SENTENCED TO DEATH

A man who murdered nine people after contacting them on Twitter has been sentenced to death, in a high-profile case that has shocked Japan, BBC reported.

Takahiro Shiraishi, dubbed the "Twitter killer," was arrested in 2017 after body parts were found in his flat. The 30-year-old had admitted to murdering and dismembering his victims - almost all of whom were young women he met on the social media platform. The serial killings triggered debate over how suicide is discussed online.

More than 400 people turned up to watch the verdict on Tuesday, despite the court only having 16 seats available for the public, reported local media. Public support for the death penalty remains high in Japan, one of the few developed nations to retain capital punishment.

Shiraishi used Twitter to lure suicidal women to his home, saying he could help them die and, in some cases, claimed he would kill himself alongside them. He strangled and dismembered eight women and one man aged 15 to 26 between August and October 2017, said Japan's Kyodo news agency, citing the indictment.

"The defendant was found to be fully responsible," said Naokuni Yano, reported The Straits Times newspaper. The father of one victim, aged 25, told the court last month that he "will never 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.

WEEKLY FEATURE

CHINKEE TAN SEEKS TO CREATE 100 MILLIONAIRES IN 2021