More details emerge in Aichi double murder, including cat's death, mysterious assailant

Wednesday 06th May, 04:57 AM JST

AICHI —

Police revealed to the media Tuesday further details of the double-murder that took place in a home in the town of Kanie, Aichi Prefecture, on Saturday.

An autopsy on Monday revealed that Kihoko Yamada, 57, found dead under a blanket in a closet on Sunday, died of head injuries caused by repeated blows with a blunt instrument, believed to be a spanner found near the bathroom sink on the first floor. The autopsy report said she was not stabbed as originally suspected, that the injuries on her back were inflicted by the blunt instrument, and that there were marks on her neck indicating she had been strangled as well.

Her second son, Masaki, 26, was found dead in a bedroom on Saturday, stabbed in the back and neck, after police visited the home following a call from a colleague concerned that Masaki had not turned up for work.

Police said his brother, Isao, also 26, was attacked in the entrance of their home when he came home early Saturday morning after drinking in Nagoya City. He was stabbed in the neck from behind and was tied up with an electrical appliance cord, but survived.

Police announced that the cat the family kept was also killed in the incident, and are investigating if the family was involved in some kind of dispute.

Meanwhile, Isao told police that the assailant demanded money from him, and that his intonation in Japanese was strange, leading police to suspect that the crime may have been committed by a foreigner. Isao said he saw the assailant’s face briefly, but that he lost consciousness shortly after, and could not recall details about his face or clothing. Police said that the family’s bankbooks and wallets were not stolen from the home.

Isao’s house keys were found on the property outside, and police believe that the assailant threw them there after locking the front door of the home.

Police said a knife, believed to have been used in the stabbing of Masaki and Isao, was found in the bathroom sink, with the water still running. The spanner was also found nearby, and appeared to have been washed and wiped dry.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 37 Total Comments Show All

Altria at 10:50 AM JST - 6th May

My money's on the guy who survived.
PaulieWalnuts at 01:23 PM JST - 6th May

poor cat.
ANOTSUSAGAMI at 09:00 PM JST - 6th May

I still suspect the surviving son. 1. His hands were simply tied behind his back, though with a little practice and some flexibility one could do that on thier own. 2. His wound could be self inflicted, I mean who can't reach the back of their neck? The motive to inflict such a wound on himself is to make his lie more believeable. Why, if the assailant was looking for money, was the son's wallet intact? Why wasn't the house tossed looking for some secret stash? Why go through the trouble to hide the mom and kill the cat? One could probably say that the son told the assailant where the money was and therefore didn't have to toss the place, but the son says he lost conciousness almost right away only hearing the demand for money. Too many questions and holes in his story. Check to see if he took out a life insurance policy on his mom.
mikihouse at 06:14 AM JST - 7th May

to add there were only 3 sets of fingerprints
nokomarie at 06:48 AM JST - 7th May

I can see killing the family dog, but a cat? Not at all that easy to do.
PaulieWalnuts at 10:16 AM JST - 7th May

I can see killing the family dog, but a cat?

Cleo! you're on
JoeBigs at 10:49 AM JST - 7th May

Killing the cat was a sign that the person who did this either hated animals or disliked the family. I wonder what was the order of the killings. Cat first or one of the humans interesting case.

The surviving son had a good alibi, coming home late from a night or drinking. But walks in on the attackers and is himself attacked.

What hits me as kind of odd is that the Mother and the other Brother were both killed while the last brother was not. Also, the last brother gets a glimpse of the killer and hears him speak. Why would the killer not off the last brother rather than leaving him alive?

Next part really seems odd to me...

Isao said he saw the assailant’s face briefly, but that he lost consciousness shortly after, and could not recall details about his face or clothing.

You see the face and clothes of you attacker but you can not remember details? He knew that his attacker spoke with an intonation in Japanese was strange. So he remembers the persons voice but can not recall even what his attacker wore.

Something does seem to be real smelly about this sons story. Something does not add up at all.

I just hope that the police are leaving out more details and the son does remember. I hope that the son did not have a hand in this crime.
cleo at 11:22 AM JST - 7th May

Paulie, you called? :-)

I agree with nokomarie. A dog is going to bark, alert the neighbours, possibly even bite and cause serious damage to an intruder. If you're an evil, vicious murderer-type set on getting rid of a whole family, you're going to want to take out the dog. Stands to reason. Cats usually just walk away. (This is one of the reasons why dogs are so much better to have around than cats, of course. Cat people are at liberty to disagree.)

This could be a clue, of course; the perpetrator was someone well-known enough to the family for the cat to approach within grabbing distance.
Altria at 11:36 AM JST - 7th May

How did the cat die? Was it stabbed, strangled, punted?

Could provide a clue - there are some cats who will rub up to any old stranger, but most will run away unless it's someone they know.
cleo at 11:42 AM JST - 7th May

there are some cats who will rub up to any old stranger

True, but most cats are not completely brainless; they know that someone who has just beaten Mum to death with a spanner and shoved her in the cupboard is not just 'any old stranger'.
Altria at 11:49 AM JST - 7th May

True, but most cats are not completely brainless; they know that someone who has just beaten Mum to death with a spanner and shoved her in the cupboard is not just 'any old stranger'.

The cat was found dead outside, so my guess is that the attacker killed it on the way in...
WilliB at 12:25 PM JST - 7th May

Isao (the surviving son) saw the attackers face but can´t remember it, but he does remember being interrogated by the attacker, and that the attacker spoke strange Japanese? Very strange indeed!
tjfrancis at 12:27 PM JST - 7th May

I don't think the murderer(s) is(are) stranger to that family. Killing a cat is much more complicated than killing humans, you have to catch it first and they have the instinct to run away from predators.

definately, I still remember how hard it was to kick that cat or pluck its hair to make the magic potion in King's Quest 3 ;-)
nokomarie at 12:31 AM JST - 8th May

The cat was found dead outside...hmmm the case darkens. The cat rubbed up against the wrong stranger? Believe me, a cat that is afraid of you even inside a house is a tough animal to corner unless it is old and fat. Otherwise, lighting reflexes are needed. Which sort of makes me think the person was more likely high rather than drunk, if you follow my meaning.
nandakandamanda at 06:56 PM JST - 9th May

My best theory was moderated, so no, he won't inherit the family fortune after all, sorry, and I'll go with theory 2, the police should have the kid undergo hypnotism to pull out that memory.