Japan Daily Newspaper ''Boy, 17, gets 11 years for '05 murder of classmate'' The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Hachioji branch of the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday sentenced a teenager to 11 years in prison for stabbing a 15-year-old female classmate to death in 2005 in Machida, western Tokyo.
According to the ruling, the boy, now 17, visited the home of Yua Koyama at about 6:15 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2005, and slashed her face, neck and several other areas of her body with a knife in the kitchen. Koyama died of blood loss.
The defense lawyer denied the boy intended to kill Koyama and claimed he acted in self-defense. The lawyer said the boy had a problem communicating with people and panicked when Koyama raised an ashtray in a threatening manner.
Presiding Judge Haruo Kobara cited the boy's criminal responsibility and rejected the defendant's argument that he had panicked. The judge said the crime was "cruel, brutal and malicious." |