Japan's 'Twitter Killer': The Man Who Killed, Chopped Up 9 People
Japan used the death penalty for the first time in almost three years as it executed an individual known as the "Twitter killer," who was found guilty of killing and dismembering 9 people. The killer reportedly offered to help people with a suicidal mindset, die, after selecting them online.
The "Twitter killer," Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, was hanged Friday at the Tokyo Detention House for murdering and dismembering eight women and one man at his Zama city apartment in Kanagawa, near Tokyo, in 2017.
Who was 'Twitter Killer' Takahiro Shiraishi?
Takahiro Shiraishi, dubbed as "Twitter Killer" was Japanese serial killer and rapist. Shiraishi selected suicidal people on social media and offered to assist in their deaths. Following their enticement and murder, he dissected their bodies and stored portions of them in refrigerators in his flat.
He was taken into custody in October 2017 after police started investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman.
The woman had reportedly posted suicidal ideas on X (formerly Twitter) and other social media platforms. Her brother gained access to her X account and assisted the police in finding the dismembered bodies of nine people at Shiraishi's residence.
Every victim had reportedly expressed their desire to take their own life on the internet. Using his X name "hangman," Shiraishi reached out to them on social media and convinced them to visit his flat in exchange for helping them die. He later killed them and tried to conceal the stench by hiding bits of their remains in toolboxes and coolers with cat litter.
Shiraishi was eventually convicted in December 2020 of killing, raping, and dismembering nine individuals, aged between 15 and 26, at his flat in Zama city in Kanagawa near Tokyo.
Shiraishi's hanging was approved by Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki, who stated he reached the decision after considering the prisoner's "extremely selfish" motivation for actions that "caused great shock and unrest to society."
Shiraishi's attorneys argued for the lower charge of "murder with consent" during the prosecution's attempt to have him executed, arguing that his victims had consented to die. They also demanded that Shiraishi's mental health be evaluated, per CNN.
Prior to Shiraishi, a man named Tomohiro Kato was put to death in 2022 for an attack in Tokyo's Akihabara in 2008. Seven people were killed when Kato drove a rented two-ton truck into a crowd and then went on a stabbing rampage.
In Japan, execution dates are kept secret until the penalty has been carried out, and the death penalty is administered by hanging. Families and solicitors are typically not informed until after the execution has occurred, and executions are performed in complete secrecy with little to no prior notice.
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