A Japanese man dubbed the ‘Twitter killer’ was sentenced to death by a Tokyo court on Tuesday for murdering and dismembering nine people he met on the social media platform.
Takahiro Shiraishi, 30, admitted killing and butchering his young victims, all but one of whom were women.
Shiraishi targeted social media users who posted about taking their own lives, telling them he could help them in their plans — or even die alongside them. His lawyers had argued he should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed because his victims, aged between 15 and 26, had expressed suicidal thoughts on social media and so had consented to die.
But a judge dismissed that argument and handed down the death penalty over the 2017 crimes, which he called “cunning and cruel,” public broadcaster NHK said. “None of the nine victims consented to be killed, including silent consent,” NHK quoted the judge as saying.
