Missing man ordered to pay family of woman he allegedly killed

Tuesday 01st April, 05:35 AM JST

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11 Comments

some14some at 07:18 AM JST - 1st April

missing man, his name also missing ...odd news ! How do they want to catch him? anyway, now with this verdict he will try everything possible and save Y75M and depart this world silently.
robin_hood at 07:58 AM JST - 1st April

A decision by three 12 year olds....

Laws written by 12 years olds...

That's basically what this case comes down to...

Statue of limitations on murder....
Sarge at 08:07 AM JST - 1st April

I'm sure this missing man will make every effort to come out from wherever he's hiding and pay up.
Zybster at 08:41 AM JST - 1st April

So, we have a SUSPECT, who is not convicted of a murder, but nonetheless he already has to pay up for it, regardless whether he committed it or not. How about first convicting him, after a trial, and then making him pay? Now, however, since he's gone, he can't confess, so it seems like the police will never be able to convict him, won't they now...
romulus3 at 09:09 AM JST - 1st April

oh man, all these years the cops have been waiting for him to come in and confess instead of trying to catch him. what makes them think that the verdict is any good? Partial closure for the family? I guess they just wanted to show the family that they were doing something because the family will not shut up and go away about it. fair enough to. if it was my kid I would be on the phone everyday "hey,you caught him yet?"
nutsagain at 09:16 AM JST - 1st April

Ah... the mysterious machinations of J logic at work. we dunno who we're looking for nor where he is, but by golly he'd better pay up! 'Yeah, I'll phone in right now' Sheesh, gimme a break...
greenteaonsens at 09:39 AM JST - 1st April

robin hood: you're being too harsh on 12 year olds - they would actually do better than this.

Jesus C. This country's police force and "justice" system are a sick joke. God help anybody here if you ever lose a loved one and expect some kind of "justice" for it.

The phrase "Japanese logic" is an oxymoron.
M51T at 10:33 AM JST - 1st April

This has implications for the Hawker case. The suspect was 28 or so so if he evades the police for 15 years he will be free in his early 40s. It doesn't quite fit with the capital punishment policy.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/12/news/murder.php
borscht at 04:37 PM JST - 1st April

in absentia rulings are not that rare in other countries but usually they are related to the guilt (or innocence) of the victim. Zybster, OJ wasn't convicted of anything but was ordered to pay a fortune to the victims' families - civil trials need less proof than criminal trials. Does anyone in the judicial system think this guy will suddenly appear? "The reasoning for the decision is not available immediately..." no kidding. (Although it should probably be 'the reasoning for the decision WAS not available...")
Zorro at 07:06 PM JST - 1st April

How about first convicting him, after a trial, and then making him pay?

Because they cant do this? They have done what they can, and that just isnt an option.

Many of you may not like the statute of limitations on murder, but there are positives. If you have not caught the guy in 20 years, then statute or no, he has won. The odds that you will catch him are extremely small after that. So, it does not really hurt anything. Further, there was a case of a guy who admitted to a murder after 20 years because he knew he was clear. Without the statute, the family would still not even know their daughter was dead, nor would they have her remains. Small consolation, I know. But, it is something.

Another aspect is that when the 20 year mark comes close, interest is regenerated in the case. I have heard of cases getting solved just before that mark. Without the statute those cases would have just been forgotten.

I cant say I am all for the statute, but some of you are just being way too short-sighted about the thing. There are positives. Its not a simple choice to have one or not if you look at all the potential results.
borscht at 08:13 PM JST - 1st April

I thought the statute of limitations for murder in Japan was 15 years. I guess the Japanese police haven't been watching JT long enough to know that cold cases in the US are sometimes solved 20, 30, even longer after the crime. Of course, in the US the police use fairly modern methods.