In a case in Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture, where three parents and their children were beaten to death with a blunt object, there were frequent damages to the cars of the victims' homes, but there were no consultations about the damage at other homes. was learned from interviews with investigators.


We are investigating in detail the relationship between the incident in which the car was damaged and this incident.

American Bishop William Ross Jr. (69) and his wife Izumi Morita (68) live in this house on the site of a house in Misugidai, Hanno City on the 25th of this month. The couple's eldest daughter lives in Tokyo. In the murder of Sophiana Megumi Morita (32), a company employee, Jun Saito (40), an unemployed neighbor, was arrested and suspected of killing Bishop.



According to the investigation so far, the suspect has refused to make a statement.



Bishop's house has been known to have been damaged frequently last year, but other nearby houses have not been consulted about such damage or troubles, according to interviews with investigators. I was.



In the case where the car at Bishop's residence was damaged, Saito was arrested in January this year on suspicion of damaging property and was not prosecuted.



Police are investigating the car damage incident and the connection between this incident.

Comments from Bishop's university

Bishop William Ross Jr., who passed away, said that until four years ago, he belonged to an external advisory body of the American university campus "Temple University Japan Campus" in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo.



According to the university, Mr. Bishop received a master's degree in visual anthropology in 1984 from Temple University in Pennsylvania in the eastern United States.



Having lived in Japan for decades, he served on the Advisory Board from 2010 to 2018.



"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden deaths of Mr. Bishop, his wife and his daughter. He was our friend and family," the university said in a statement. I am commenting.



The senior vice president, who has worked with Bishop, said, "He had a deep understanding of both Japanese and American cultures and was deeply concerned about the future of Japanese people, especially young people like students. He gave advice, had a passion for international education, and was a model of global thinking and behavior.We have lost not only our university family but also a great friend of the Japanese people."

Comment from the company where Bishop worked until 2016

Bishop William Ross Jr. is said to have worked for Nippon Becton Dickinson, the Japanese branch of an American medical device manufacturer, from 2008 to 2016.



In addition, the company said about Mr. Bishop, "He was a mild-mannered person, and was trusted and loved by the employees. I cannot bear the sadness when I came across the sudden tragic news. I will miss Mr. Bishop and his family during his lifetime. I pray from the bottom of my heart that he may rest in peace," he commented.

The point of contact between the suspect and the victim is

[Suspect about 30 years ago]


The residential area where the incident occurred was sold as a residential area about 30 years ago, and Saito's family purchased a corner in 1989.



[Good at soccer and popular]


At that time, Saito was in the lower grades of elementary school, and according to neighbors, he lived with about 4 to 5 people, including his mother, grandmother, and older sister.



The suspect at the time was good at soccer, and he was popular.



[Aspiring to be a movie director...]


According to people involved, Saito later entered an art university in Osaka.



Around 2007, after graduating, he was working on film production as a film director.



He is the blog of the movie he allegedly directed.


The title is "Gift".



It is introduced as an ensemble drama depicting various characters such as a man who was diagnosed with HIV and an accessory craftsman.



Regarding the intention of planning, "I wanted to find and pick up something from the discontinuity. From between black and white, life and death, career and non-career, etc. 'Try to be constructive.' "Things" is the most important theme of this work.It takes the form of an ensemble drama, and cuts out and weaves the daily lives of multiple characters."



This blog mentions that he graduated from Osaka University of Arts and has participated in multiple film festivals and won awards.



[Lack of communication during production]


According to an interviewee, Saito lost contact with the staff during the editing process, even though the production was finished.



On top of that, "Before I lost contact, I heard from the staff on site that they had made something good, so I thought that his high ideals made him unable to move on his own. I went to Hanno's house to discuss it twice, but he said, ``I will complete it and submit it.'' He was calm, but he seemed to have stopped his mind, and he was thinking, ``I'm sorry. I thought that even if I tried to persuade him further, he would be cornered,'" he recalled.



[Like living alone]


Initially, the suspect moved away from his home, where he lived with his family, to live alone with his mother and older sister.



According to people involved, he seemed to be at home during the day, and he seems to have been living with financial support from his parents.



His yard was overgrown with grass, and he said he didn't have any noticeable interactions with other residents.



On the other hand, some people said that they returned greetings when necessary, such as taking out the trash or handing over circulars.

[Victim's family moved in] Under


these circumstances, six years ago, in 2016, the victims'


bishops purchased a house on the site and moved.



Until then, the couple lived in Tokyo and were both over 60 years old.


They chose a suburban house about 60 meters from the suspect's home as their new base of life.



Sofiana, who lives in Tokyo, sometimes visited the house where the couple lived.



[Walking with a couple]


According to the neighbors, it was said that the couple and their parents and children were a good family, shopping and taking walks.



[Points of contact]


The suspect and the Bishop family's residence are about 60 meters apart, and the roads that connect them are also different.


Also, since the group of the residents' association is different, it seems that they did not have a relationship to see each other on a daily basis.


No information was heard from neighbors that the suspect and his family had any contact.



[Car damage incident]


Meanwhile, from August to December last year, there were frequent damages to the car at Bishop's residence.



In response to six damage reports, the police found and arrested Saito, who was throwing stones at the car in January this year by stakeout at the site house.



["I don't know", "I don't know"]


This means that when I asked Mr. Bishop if there were any troubles that I could think of during the investigation, he said, "I have no idea."



Also, when asked if he knew Saito's face, he answered, "I don't know."



Saito said nothing in response to the police investigation, and there was no point of contact between the two that could lead to the incident.


They say it wasn't clear.



The case was dismissed.



[There was no damage report after that, incident]


After that, Mr. Bishop did not report the damage to the police, but on the morning of Christmas on December 25, an incident occurred in which three people were killed, and the suspect was arrested. it was done.

Suspect made in the past or a tape of a movie work is left

A tape of a movie work "Letter" that Jun Saito is believed to have made in the past was left behind.



Regarding this work, a person who knew it at the time looked back, "I forgot the details, but I remember that it was a work full of youth and enthusiasm."



The suspect continued to make films after that, but although he finished shooting, he could not complete it, and he was out of touch.



Regarding this, the person concerned said, "Before we lost contact, I heard from the staff on site that they had made something good. I wonder if his high ideals made him unable to move. I went to Hanno's house twice to discuss it, but he said, ``I will complete it and submit it.'' He was calm, but he seemed to have stopped his mind. , I thought, 'Even if I try to persuade him further, I'll feel like I'm going to be mentally cornered.'" Looking back on the situation at that time.

On the day of the incident, an emergency vehicle was captured on the security camera footage.

On the day of the incident, it is a video of a residential security camera about 50 meters away from the scene in a straight line.



After 7:29 a.m. on the camera's clock, police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks can be seen blaring their sirens one after another as they pass by.



A man in his 30s who lived in this house recalled that time, "I woke up to the sound of a siren and went outside to watch the situation, but the police and others seemed to be in a hurry." .



Regarding Saito, he said, ``I have seen him cutting trees in the garden and cleaning the room with the windows fully open, but I feel that he had no interaction with people. I want to know the motive," he said.