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| “ | さあゲームの始まりです, 愚鈍な警察諸君, ボクを止めてみたまえ, ボクは殺しが愉快でたまらない, 人の死が見たくて見たくてしょうがない, 汚い野菜共には死の制裁を, 積年の大怨に流血の裁きを This is the beginning of the game... Try to stop me if you can you stupid police... I desperately want to see people die, it is a thrill for me to commit murder. A bloody judgment is needed for my years of great bitterness. |
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| ~ Azuma's note to the Japanese police. |
Shinichiro Azuma (東慎一郎; July 7th, 1982 -), also known as Seito Sakakibara (酒鬼薔薇聖斗), was responsible for the death of two children in 1997.
The Japanese police have also commented that Azuma's second murder case was reminiscent of the Zodiac Killer's method of killing that happened in the late 1960s.
Biography edit
Azuma was born in July 7th, 1982 in Kobe, and there is no information on his personal life prior to the murder. There has been reports of Azuma comitting animal cruelty by the age age 12 and also began bringing cutting weapons to school.
Assault and Murder edit
First Case edit
On February 10th, 1997, Azuma assaulted two schoolgirls with a metal hammer, resulting in one of the victims severely injured. According to witnesses, the suspect was wearing a school jacket and carrying a schoolbag. One of the victim's father requested the nearby school, which was the school Azuma attended, to provide him photographs of their students in order for his daughter to recognise the suspect but the school refused. After the father sought help from the police, the school still refused to provide any information of their students.
After Azuma was arrested, the school was heavily criticised by the public.
Second Case edit
On March 16th, 1997, Azuma asked 10 year-old schoolgirl Ayaka Yamashita (山下彩花) directions to the nearest toilet. After Yamashita showed him the location, Azuma attacked her with a metal sledge. Yamashita was later rushed to the nearest hospital but died on March 27th, 1997.
When fleeing away from the scene, Azuma also stabbed another schoolgirl who witnessed the assault.
Third Case edit
On May 24th, 1997, Azuma lured 11 year-old schoolboy Jun Hase (土師淳) to the nearby hills and strangled him to death. He returned the next day and decapitated and mutilated Hase with a hand saw. He then discarded the head in a plastic bag and took the head back home and cleaned it thoroughly. Two days later he placed the bag outside Hase's school, alongside a note he left in the victim's mouth. According to mental evaluation reports after Azuma was arrested, Azuma had ejaculated the body and drank blood from the victim's body.
The head was found by a school janitor on May 27th, 1997 morning. The police arrived and identified the head to be the missing child Jun Hase. They also found the body with the help of the notes left inside the victim's head.
On June 4th, 1997, the local newspaper company Kobe Shimbun received a letter from somebody called Seito Sakakibara, who claimed to be responsible for the death of Jun Hase. He also threatened to kill at least three more children within the next few months. This resulted in a local panic and also the misprint of Seito Sakakibara's name on the newspapers. This angered Azuma which caused him to send two more letters and threatened to kill even more children if there was another mistake.
Investigation edit
During the investigation from the police, they initially suspected the victim to be around 20-40 years old, since the method of killing and provoking was similar to the Zodiac Killer. Azuma was also questioned a few times during the initial investigation.
In early June 1997, the police targeted Azuma as their primary suspect due to his past records and relations to the first two schoolgirl's injury. On June 28th, 1997, Azuma was arrested for assault. He quickly confessed that he was responsible for the death of Jun Hase after his arrest.
Trial edit
Azuma was sentenced to juvenile detention on October 13th, 1997, due to the fact that he was only 14 years old, and was released in January 2005.
In 2000, Japan lowered the age for criminal responsibility from 16 to 14. However, due to another murder case where a 11-year-old murdered her 12-year-old classmate in 2004, there has been some discussion for the need for further revision
Autobiography edit
In 2015, 32-year old Shinichiro released an autobiography in which he claimed to express regret for his crimes and recounted the murders in graphic detail. Despite the victims' families attempt to block the release of the block, it reached the top of Japanese bestseller lists in a short period of time.
Trivia edit
- On the Japanese forum 2channel, one of his classmates posted a topic in which he shared some stories about Sakakibara.