Japanese man jailed for internet hit
nzherald wrote:
8.20am Thursday June 15, 2006
A Japanese man has been sentenced to life in jail for killing a 76-year-old man on behalf of the victim's son and grandson who had placed an order for his murder on the internet.
Naoya Katayama, 36, killed wheelchair-bound Tsutomu Nomoto by hitting him with a hammer, for which he was reportedly paid 2 million yen ($28,800).
The defence argued that Katayama had only sought to help other people by fulfilling the murder request.
"defence"? That's generous.
IOL wrote:. . . "The motive was greed and was inhuman and leaves no room for leniency," said presiding judge Yasuyuki Tsuchiya of the Nagano District Court in central Japan.
The court also sentenced the victim's son Tomitaka, 50, and grandson Michitaka, 25, to prison terms of 20 years and 13 years respectively for posting the order and negotiating the deal with Katayama.
They told the court they had ordered the killing because they felt threatened, but according to media reports Tomitaka Nomoto was unemployed and had a history of beating his father who nagged him to get a job. - AFP
He was also found guilty in another case of conspiracy to murder a 21 year old Tokyo woman's little brother, at her request . . . mentioned here.
