Death Penalty Sought Over 2018 Toyama Police Box Killings

Japanese prosecutors on Thursday (Nov 12) demanded the death penalty for a 30-year-old former Self-Defense Forces member over the 2018 Toyama killings of a police officer and a school security guard, The Japan Times reported.

Prosecutors Seek Death Over Toyama Killings

At a lay-judge trial hearing at the Toyama District Court, prosecutors said the acts by defendant Keita Shimazu were among the most heinous of indiscriminate killings and showed “an extraordinary disregard for human life”, the newspaper reported.

Shimazu remained silent throughout the proceedings. At a hearing on Tuesday (Nov 10), bereaved relatives also called for the death penalty, saying his crimes were absolutely unforgivable.

Officer Stabbed and Pistol Taken

According to the indictment, Shimazu fatally stabbed 46-year-old police officer Kenichi Inaizumi and took his pistol at the Okuda police box in Toyama on June 26, 2018.

Japan Today, reporting on an earlier ruling in the case, said Shimazu then walked to a nearby elementary school and shot dead 68-year-old security guard Shinichi Nakamura with the officer’s gun, before he was shot by police who arrived at the scene.

Defence Disputes Robbery-Murder Charge

The case centres on Shimazu’s criminal responsibility given his autism spectrum disorder, The Japan Times said. Past hearings focused on whether the crime of robbery-murder can be established and what sentence is appropriate.

The defence argued robbery-murder cannot be established, saying Shimazu was strongly affected by his autism and felt the attacks were his only option.

The Toyama District Court earlier sentenced Shimazu to life in prison after prosecutors sought death, with the presiding judge saying he may have been mentally incompetent at the time, Japan Today reported. The Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya High Court later overturned that ruling, saying the sentence should be reconsidered on the premise that robbery-murder could be established, according to The Japan Times.

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