A 19-year-old former boy who was accused of murder and other crimes for stabbing a woman to death with a knife at a hotel in Tachikawa City, Tokyo, and seriously injuring a man who was a colleague of the woman, was sentenced to 23 years in prison by the Tachikawa Branch of the Tokyo District Court, saying that it was a very brutal and malicious crime that was relentlessly attacked.
The then-19-year-old former boy was charged with murder and attempted murder for stabbing a 6-year-old woman to death with a kitchen knife at a hotel in Tachikawa City in June, as well as stabbing a male colleague who was trying to help her and seriously injuring her.
The main point of contention at the trial was whether he was responsible at the time of the crime.
In his ruling on the 31th, Chief Judge Aya Arai of the Tachikawa Branch of the Tokyo District Court pointed out that "it is recognized that he was responsible from his words and actions at the time of the crime, such as preparing a kitchen knife in advance and trying to escape from the pursuit when he was found by a police officer after the incident."
On top of that, he sentenced him to 14 years in prison, saying, "It is very brutal and vicious to attack relentlessly and inflict many injuries, and the consequences of taking one life and seriously injuring one person are also serious."