A Japanese man called the "Twitter killer" who pleaded guilty to killing nine people in a high-profile mass murder case in 2017 was sentenced to death today, the Tokyo District Court confirmed to CNN.
Takahiro Shiraishi, 30, was convicted of killing, raping, dismembering and guarding nine bodies of victims at his Zama apartment. Shiraishi was arrested in October 2017 after police searched his home to investigate the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had posted suicide notes on social media, including Twitter.
The nine victims - eight women and one man - were aged between 15 and 26. The
victims had posted online that they wanted to kill themselves and were then contacted by Shiraishi via social media platforms.
Shiraishi invited them to his apartment in Zama, promising to help them die. Shiraishi pleaded guilty to killing the victims, telling the court that he had killed them to fulfill his sexual desire.
Shiraishi does not intend to appeal the decision and will be on death row until the Japanese justice minister signs the execution order. In Japan, the death penalty is carried out by hanging, as well as execution dates that are not made public until the sentence is carried out.
