crime

Murder suspect seen walking behind girl in camera footage

82 Comments

Police investigating the murder of a 6-year-old girl in Kobe said Thursday that street surveillance camera footage showed the suspect in custody over her death walking a short distance behind her on the day she disappeared.

Police said the footage, taken at about 3:15 p.m. on Sept 11 near a convenience store in Nagata Ward showed the suspect, Yasuhiro Kimino, drinking what appears to be a can of beer as he walks behind the girl, Mirei Ikuta, two hours before she disappeared.

Police said that after they examined the footage, they visited Kimino, 47, at his apartment on Sept 16 to ask him if he knew anything about Ikuta's disappearance but said there was nothing out of the ordinary about his behavior, Fuji TV reported Thursday. Kimino also told police he was drunk and couldn't remember even seeing Ikuta walking ahead of him.

Kimino was arrested on Wednesday after body parts belonging to Ikuta were found in six bags in a wooded area near his apartment.

Police on Thursday searched Kimono's apartment looking for more clues that might tie him to the crime. Fuji TV reported that no bloodstains have been found either in Kimino's apartment or at the spot where the bags were dumped.

So far, Kimino -- who is refusing to answer questions about the crime -- has only been charged with abandoning a body after his hospital registration card and cigarette butts were found in one of the bags with the body parts, police said. DNA on the butts matched that of Kimino.

Media also reported that Kimino may have lured Ikuta to his apartment by using cats. A resident in the same apartment building, who has a number of cats, said Ikuta came to play with the cats on at least three occasions during the summer. The apartment building is about 150 meters from her home.

Meanwhile, Ikuta's parents have released a statement to the media in which they said they are struggling to come to terms with their daughter's death and that all they can do is pray she will rest in peace.

© Japan Today

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82 Comments
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That drunk excuse will not work in this sad situation.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

this is one of the few times where people should turn a blind eye while the police "question" him for several weeks.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

When crimes are cut and dry like this is what capital punishment was conceived for. I hope that Japan prisoners are as welcoming to child killers as American prisoners are. He won't last long if it is.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Drunk? That's just lame, if I was drunk on a Thursday afternoon in broad daylight I would still have remembered something! He is a monster, in-humane.... I hope he rots in hell!!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Wait a minute... His ID card and cigarette butt was inside the bags? Isn't it strange? If not he is a drunk, perv, psycho and also a incredibly stupid. Totally possible but unlikely? Could they have been planted there? This crime makes me sick to my stomach and I would like to see the perpetrator fry, but I would hate to see the real perv walk.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Being reported he is mentally handicapped.

Whatever problems he has, childkillers deserve being hanged.

Penalties are sometimes not for the criminals, but for the victims.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

They have to consider the dna test that have found in cugarette butts.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@SauloJpn - exactly!

I hope they have got the right man, but the evidence does seem too obvious. They need to be 100% sure that that sick person who did this is not free and able to repeat this horrid crime.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@SauloJpn & @justbcuzisay you guys are forgetting the video that shows him walking 2 meters behind her. Now granted this is not solid evidence but highly suspicious.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Creepy monsters walk amongst us.

We have to teach our kids this and that no place outside of the home is ever completely safe. That's really sad.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Let's go by evidence and no coerced confessions. If he's guilty I hope there's lots of cross-referenced evidence.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sounds like there is a lot of very convenient evidence. But no murder weapon, no blood, no link to him and the body, besides the parallel link to items that belong to him being fortuitously left in the bag. Items that anyone could get from his car. Specifically, items he would have left in his car. If, he has a car. Nothing about that in the report, though.

He has a work ID, so he had a job, it is likely he drove to work. They released his name but so few other details. It is as if they aren't willing to accept the coincidences are too perfect, so they will look for anything to help prosecute him. The video of him walking behind her for instance. They are neighbors, it isn't far fetched that they would "meet" while walking home.

They want to prosecute this guy, and are willing to let the villages break out the pitchforks and torches, to sway him into a confession. The entire thing reeks of dubious intervention. But if he is the guy or not, his fate may be decided by the force of gorilla coercion. I hope he is the perpetrator, because otherwise, is life is already ruined.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

papigiulioSEP. @SauloJpn & @justbcuzisay you guys are forgetting the video that shows him walking 2 meters behind her. Now granted this is not solid evidence but highly suspicious.

But, let's say for example the 'real' perpetrator was watching her and also knew of the man? Or the murder saw the police go to the man's apartment to question him and found a good person to frame? (they lived near each other, and unemployed guys who walk around with beers in the daylight are usually known by all the neighbours)

What I am curious about, were there any other house items in the bags, or just the cigarette butts and ID? Either way it could be planted, but just the cigarettes and ID really seems strange, only items that point directly to a person? Why would the man have a bag with only those items in it?

I hope they have the right man, but again, very scary if they don't

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Steven Grin Harsha:

" Items that anyone could get from his car. "

Except he does not have a car. Nor a bike. According to neighbours he is basically always in the area.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Sounds to me he is not too sharp. This little girl is gone and I am sure she is in heaven just the same I am going to pray for the repose of her little soul. I hope she did not suffer too much. I will also pray for her parents they must be devastated by this very sad event in their lives. RIP little angel

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Readers, please stop implying there has been a frame. It is both offensive and ludicrous.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

So let me get this right: she disappears on Sept 11th and the police only get around to questioning a suspicious guy in a street surveillance video who lives near the girl on Sept 16th? Then they find his hospital registration card and cigarette butts in a bag with her body parts and they only charge him with abandoning the body?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Police said that after they examined the footage, they visited Kimino, 47, at his apartment on Sept 16 to ask him if he knew anything about Ikuta’s disappearance but said there was nothing out of the ordinary about his behavior, Fuji TV reported Thursday. Kimino also told police he was drunk and couldn’t remember even seeing Ikuta walking ahead of him.

.............is it just me or are the cops easily fooled, the last line about him not even remembering the girl because he was drunk would for me become suspicious of the guy, the cops.......situation normal................

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@stormcrow

Creepy monsters walk amongst us.

We have to teach our kids this and that no place outside of the home is ever completely safe

Unfortunately it has recently been proved - several times - that "the home" is not necessarily safe either...

RIP little girl, you are no longer suffering. I feel so sorry for your parents.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Must have been a terrible and revolting experience for the parents - using 'I was drunk' as excuse, that's ridiculous- for a drunk person to be able to lure the child with a cat- that's one clever drunk. If he did that to the child while being drunk then that just means he was already a crazy cruel man to begin with... I pray that she may rest in peace...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I understand the school also cancelled their annual Sports Day (Undoukai) which is a blow to the entire school. All that hard work those kids put in to put on a show for their family. The whole school must be mourning in addition to the parents and family of the little one. Oh dear. Sad days. Rest in heavenly peace, child.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

you guys are forgetting the video that shows him walking 2 meters behind her

As the story indicates, the two lived 150 meters apart from each other. Their paths probably met dozens of times.

They need to be 100% sure that that sick person who did this is not free and able to repeat this horrid crime.

You can be 100% certain that sick people are free and capable of committing crimes like this. Another thing that is nearly certain: the person who committed this heinous act has next to zero empathy for others. Through the study of psychopaths and highly altruistic people, science has become much better at identifying the part of the brain that causes some to feel nothing for others, while others to feel motivated to anonymously donate one of their kidneys to a complete stranger.

If this is the man who committed the crime, and he has no past record, then he was a ticking time bomb for a good part of his adult life. That's pretty scary. It's really very easy to call for death for the murderer. It's much tougher to ask the questions about what it might take to better identify the ticking time bombs among us and provide something so that they don't go off. Otherwise, we guarantee ourselves that we'll be shaking our fists yet again at more horrifying murders.

Fuji TV reported that no bloodstains have been found either in Kimino’s apartment or at the spot where the bags were dumped.

This is what is puzzling. If this suspect killed the girl at his apartment, how could he be so fastidious about what was certain to be very bloody while at the same time so almost willfully careless? This crime was either meticulously planned in advance or committed on a relative moment's whim -- a crime of opportunity. I sincerely hope the police are considering both possibilities.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The japanese cops never enter the abode.remember when the guy was cutting up Lucy Blackman,they saw him covered in cement but just left it at that.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hope our Keiji San are a bit more imaginative than our postars here. How do we know those bags are not used ones? Say when trying to empty the original content in a hurry some items accidentally left inside is not absolutely unnatural or impossible.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

But no murder weapon, no blood, no link to him and the body

It is as if they aren't willing to accept the coincidences are too perfect

That we know of. The Japanese police have a long-standing habit of keeping their cards close to their chest, and they don't let much out to the press despite what the news/wide shows would have you think. In the Sakakibara case, they knew, or strongly suspected it was a juvenile but they didn't stop the news stations from following up reports of suspicious cars etc.

After seeing that surveillance footage, any cop in the West worth his salt would have either got a warrant to enter his place

She was seen alone walking in a park over 2 hours later. An immediate search would have yielded nothing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sounds to me he is not too sharp. According to most reports Kimino has a "mental deficiency," (chitekishougai) and was living on disabled social security. His only comments on his Facebook page since June last year, were (in Japanese) "I want some friends," "I want a siesta," and "meow." Horrible tragedy. As a parent, out of this world. But, I agree with Lucabrasi. This man is not only unspeakably bad, but also very unwell.

Can one deter future Kimino's by the death penalty? I fear not. The placing of his ID card may suggest the contrary, that he is, and future Kimono's will be, attempting to commit state assisted suicide, as seems to have been the case in other recent atrocities of this type. And the important thing to me - more than 'justice' and revenge - is that this does not happen again.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I believe this guy has mental issues. He admitted he was drunk, plus, the dude is crazy. Those two factors contributed to him leaving his cigarette butt & ID in the bag.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"So far, Kimino—who is refusing to answer questions about the crime—has only been charged with abandoning a body after his hospital registration card and cigarette butts were found in one of the bags with the body parts, police said. DNA on the butts matched that of Kimino."

That's pretty incriminating...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

zichi, she was seen at 5:30 in a park near some high school 600 meters or so from her house. NHK showed it last week.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Kimino also told police he was drunk and couldn’t remember even seeing Ikuta walking ahead of him.

When he used the words "don't remember", the alarm bells should have been ringing right there. The Japanese reports quote the words "yoku oboeteinai", which is right in line with what most criminals say before they are convicted. But it seems from the police quotes that they were solely focusing on finding the girl alive, and weren't looking for clues that she might have been killed there at the time. Regarding the area where her body parts were found, they said "it was too high for a little girl to climb up alone" as their reason for not searching it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

and weren't looking for clues that she might have been killed there at the time.

They searched the house thoroughly and found nothing suspicious.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Himajin

They searched the house thoroughly and found nothing suspicious.

The Japanese article I read on yahoo said they "didn't find the girl or her belongings". This makes it sound like they were searching for her or her stuff, but didn't look thoroughly enough to find any traces of her.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Zichi,

Three 2nd grade schoolboys said they saw her at/around Daimaruyama (?大丸山) Park around 5:30. It's a bit of a distance from her house, the school etc.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Regarding the possible confusion about a "park," reports have it as an "athletic field" at a high school southeast of her home.

She was seen there 2 hours after the video was taken, where the suspect was behind her.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There's also no athletic field near to her home?

The athletic field -- where she was seen by several second grade students at 5:30 -- is associated with a junior high or high school about 500 meters southeast of her home. There is a junior high that fits that description. According to Kobe Shinbun, she was seen sitting by herself near a police box (koban) at 5 PM -- not too far from the junior high school. zichi, in your reading of the reports, where do the second graders say they saw her at 5:30?

Also, according to the Kobe newspaper, the two-story, seven-unit apartment building where the suspect lives is of the kind of construction -- (read: very thin) -- where the neighbors know what is going on nearly all the time. The neighbors swear up and down that if someone were to bring a woman or girl to one of the units, someone would have known about it. Strange footsteps/shoes always attract their attention. So, while it is possible he abducted and killed her, it is not likely he would be able to do it in his apartment. And, so far, the physical evidence supports that.

Lastly, if the guy was already drinking at 3:30 -- and assuming he was home two hours later -- he may well have been drunk in his apartment. The girl appears to be just wandering around her section of town for about 2-3 hours.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Zichi,

I'm not very familiar with Kobe but try this link:

http://matome.naver.jp/m/odai/2141091232764129301/2141091455665655803

It shows a map with her movements as seen on security cameras or reported by witnesses. This looks just like what I've seen on the TV news that indicate she walked quite a distance. The 5:30 sighting is number 6 on the map and the accompanying chart says what I mentioned above. The park is southeast of her home & school.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Quite strange. I wonder how can a drunken guy can be so carefull with blood stains.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

But ye there's the Maruyama Junior High School. That is in the area the second graders say they saw her at 5:30pm? The distance from her grandmothers to that point is far for a 6 year old on their own

Yes, it is pretty far. The unanswered part for me is the backpack. The second-graders who reported seeing her at 5:30 claim she was wearing it. (Her grandmother reports she had left the backpack at her house. Did the girl come back to pick it up?) Maruyama JH is around 700 meters from the girl's home. Plus the second-graders claim she was headed in the opposite direction from where she lives when they saw her leave.

It's clear that if the backpack is still at her house or her grandmother's, it would make the second-graders' sighting an erroneous one. But, by virtue of the fact that the news reports indicate the backpack is missing, their report can't be counted out. Right? (Was she running away from home?)

Let's suppose their report is accurate. That would mean she's headed farther away from this suspect. Less likely that he could abduct her (without a car) and carry her 700+ meters, or to wherever he would have planned to do whatever. It doesn't add up.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Zichi, Obviously I was not there and walking with Mirei so I have no way of knowing if the accounts are correct. Of course some of the witness reports might be wrong. And that, if the reports are accurate it appears she covered quite long distances, has been considered bod the puzzling aspects of this case.

There is information about Daimaruyama Park (again, not sure of the reading of 大丸山公園) at No 87 on the page linked below. It doesn't look like an athletic field, just like an ordinary park, apparently new after the earthquake. It's on this list of monuments to the earthquake because it has a couple of trees that were damaged by the fires but saved and later planted there

http://www1.plala.or.jp/monument/m-nagata.html

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Quite strange. I wonder how can a drunken guy can be so carefull with blood stains.

Has anyone thought that maybe he didn't kill her in his home but in a secluded area somewhere?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

That is in the area the second graders say they saw her at 5:30pm? The distance from her grandmothers to that point is far for a 6 year old on their own.

I agree, zichi. All the news programs I watched said she was there, but it seemed impossible to me that she would go that far. Her parasol was in the bushes outside the mansion where her friend lives, I thought that she might have been snatched there, the umbrella was just thrown aside. The search for her may have been skewed by erroneous sightings. Here is a map of her supposed wanderings. it seems too far...but every news channel reported this as fact.

http://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000034641.html

1 ( +1 / -0 )

How can anyone kill a 6-year-old girl on purpose? I don't get it...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The search for her may have been skewed by erroneous sightings.

I tend to see that to a point. We have multiple sightings of her from the time she left her grandmother's house and then, for nearly two hours, nothing. I am more inclined to discount or dismiss what the second graders claim they saw. They may have been trying to be helpful. However, if they attended the same school and one or more of them happened to know her, it would be reliable. And was the sighting near the koban at 5 PM a mistake too?

Unaccounted for is the backpack that she left at her grandmother's and is now counted as missing. No one seems to record the time she went back to retrieve it, if she did. Could she have done so without anyone knowing? (No aisatsu upon entering or departing?) The second graders claim she had it with her. It will have to be accounted for sometime.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

yabits,

Are you confusing her randoseru school backpack, which she left at her grandmother's upon returning from school, with the cute fuzzy pink and green with teddy bear attached backpack that she took with her went she went out to meet her friend, was with her in the convenience store camera view, and is now missing? You can see it at this link:

http://matome.naver.jp/m/odai/2141152470021674201/2141152843727019203

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Educator60,

Thank you. Yes, I was indeed confusing the two. I appreciate the correction!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

yabits,

You're welcome.

BTW, too lazy to go back over the comments to see who said it but there was something about it being odd that her parasol was found abandoned outside the mansion apartment building where her friend lives. But I saw a reporter who had interviewed people in the area who said that although she was very partial to her parasol and often carried it, she was also known to leave it behind here and there sometimes. Maybe she forgot it, maybe it was in the way of whatever play she was engaged in, maybe it got too heavy for her to continue carrying it. I don't think that where and how it was found necessarily tells us anything important.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

But I saw a reporter who had interviewed people in the area who said that although she was very partial to her parasol and often carried it, she was also known to leave it behind here and there sometimes.

I hadn't heard that.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How can anyone kill a 6-year-old girl on purpose? I don't get it...

Its already been established that the guy is mentally handicapped.

Has anyone thought that maybe he didn't kill her in his home but in a secluded area somewhere?

I hope so, otherwise the police are even bigger idiots than I thought. Because if the guy is careless enough to leave his ID with the body, you'd think there'd be a blood stain or some trace of her in his apartment.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Morning news saying Kimino was captured following Mirei-chan on the security camera at her friend's apartment, as well as at the conbini. The news is now focusing on how Kimino tried to collect cats from neighbors, and how Mirei-chan loved cats and could have been lured by them?

He has a lawyer but isn't saying much besides "I'm tired" due to the police questioning.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Himajin,

"I hadn't heard that."

I only saw that once on one program. Can't remember which program it was but if would have been in the last few days and probably either Morning Bird, Hiruobi, or Miyaneya.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Zichi, "You don't get access to a lawyer until the period of police questioning is up. "

He has a lawyer. The lawyer met with him on Thursday (yesterday) and gave an interview to the media after.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Surely the real issue here is the woefully inadequate lack of awareness and care for people with mental issues. We saw it with the girl in Sasebo, and now again in Hyogo.

The fact is, people who are a danger to others and/or themselves just should not be out on the street. The blame for this girl's murder lies squarely with social services and the civil servants responsible for funding.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

>I can't find any links to that?

Here's one, zichi-

http://www.nikkansports.com/general/news/p-gn-tp0-20140926-1372927.html

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I would say all evidence so far makes it clear that this low-life scum of a guy is the murderer. I pray for the girl to rest in peace.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

rickyveeSEP. 25, 2014 - 03:06PM JST this is one of the few times where people should turn a blind eye while the police "question" him for several weeks.

No need Ricky. They've got the DNA and they'll find enough more. He's done for.

As for the police they need to learn to rely on proper police work, not 'interrogations' and forced confessions, no matter how heinous the crime.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

NHK news just said that police found Mirei's backpack in Kimino's apartment today.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They also just said he was seen on the mansion security camera following her in there, which was right after she was seen on the camera at Lawson's.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

NHK news just said that police found Mirei's backpack in Kimino's apartment today.

That would tighten the screws on this. Without this kind of evidence, I have been reluctant to "convict" him.

My hope now is that all the details of this crime will be revealed.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Media also reporting more probable body parts were found today near his apartment.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Whats this world coming to?? Guess it just takes one really sick #&%''(# to make us question that. I mean his crime is so horrific that it has left us all asking the question WHY?? Mirei didnt to anything to deserve that! Not even walking by herself!! She is only 6! Yeah, my wife and I have shed many a tear about this and worried about our own two precious little ones, roughly the same age as Mirei.

However, me, a man who has questioned his faith over the past many years, have been praying for little Mirei Ikuta....a lot! When I woke up at 4 a.m., thinking about the horror of it all. I got to thinking, at 4 in the morning, that I wish there was something I could do for this little girl, who loved cats, and had the free spirit to wander about on her own, trusted people, who loved her blue parasol, and had her cute little bag with the bear on it! And I realize, that maybe there is something I.. we can do for her! And that is to cherish her memory and pray for her soul, so that she knows that she has touched a million or more peoples hearts! and that all of us who have chanced to read about her, have shed tears because we have come to love her. So when she is in the spirit world that she can look back at her time on earth and not remember the terror of her parting, but know instead, that she WAS LOVED by many and that she TOUCHED many peoples lives and made them want to be better people. She has inspired me to cherish those I love and to appreciate my time with them to the max. Rest in Peace Mirei Ikuta. We will always love and remember you.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The evidence found near the girl's body are all circumstantial and does not prove without a shadow of doubt that he committed the murder, hence he hasn't been charged yet (as of 10:34PM of Sept 26th). And unless the murder weapon is found, and there is conclusive evidence that points to this guy, there is an ever so slight chance that he didn't do it.

Having said the above, other media outlets report that this guy has been seen drunk in public at the nearby shopping arcade in the past, and acting extremely erratic and violent. When he is sober, he extremely quiet and docile, like a completely different person. He could be a regular Jekyl and Hyde, and honestly doesn't remember the actions he committed while drunk. Of course, this is no excuse for brutally murdering this poor little girl, he needs to be hung.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Mirai-

He was seen staring at her and following her on Lawson's camera.

He was seen on the lobby camera of the mansion where Mirei-chan went to see a friend, so he followed her into the lobby.

Her back pack has been found in his apartment.

The Japanese system works differently. They always charge 'shitai iki' (abandonment of a corpse) because they can be relatively sure of that, but the person who dumps a body isn't necessarily the killer. They are out with metal detectors looking for the weapon.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

As more and more details emerge I am more and more convinced Kimino's the one. But as for what has been announced, they still lack the concrete evidence that's needed. Seeing as how it looks like everything took place within that limited area I'm sure the police will come across something soon.

One thing I learned today, Apparently the police took him into custody when he tried to get into the wooded area -----after the bags of body parts had been discovered.

There was also an interview with a former employer who recounted an episode where he put a woman in a car trunk and dumped her in the mountains. She got down the mountain and stormed his workplace with a man. The bar owner negotiated a settlement and now regrets that the case hadn't gone to the police, as maybe that might have prevented the murder of Mirei.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@kaimycahl: I have been asking myself the same questions as this has progressed, while doubting any tentative possibilities I come up with as well. The scales are now tipped against the suspect, and I believe it is only a matter of time before he starts talking.

The more I read, the more impressed I am with how the police have been handling the investigation. I am pretty sure that they do, but I was wondering if anyone can confirm if Japan has a national forensics crime lab similar to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the States. I am more confident that the police too, are still not ruling out all possibilities as they build their case.

I meet with members of law enforcement most Friday mornings, and this morning I discussed this case with one of their senior folks, particularly interested in how hard it is to clean up blood traces from a crime scene. (It's anything but easy.) The police will eventually find it.

It seems one of our main duties is to keep our children as safe and secure as we possibly can. In that sense, I think we all have the feeling that we have failed Mirai-chan somehow.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Her back pack has been found in his apartment.

Means nothing. Its still circumstantial. He could have found the backpack and took it back to his apartment. The girl could have even been in his apartment and took off her backpack there, but this still doesn't mean he killed her.

The only real conclusive evidence is to find the murder weapon, and to link it Kimino (fingerprint or DNA), or find her blood somewhere on one of his belongings. aside from that, everything found is all circumstantial and a good lawyer would be able shoot all of them down in court. The police have to be extremely careful and find that one damning evidence that proves without a shadow of a doubt that he did it, otherwise he could be set free by the court for lack of evidence..

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

He likely killed her away from his house, so no blood there. As far as evading police for two weeks, he got lucky with that, not smart: She went missing Sept. 11. It took time to start and narrow the investigation and to find him on CCTV footage. They interviewed him Sept. 16. Police searched the area at bottom of stairs near the body site on Sept. 17 and 20 but failed to search the place the body was found. An investigator noticed a smell on Sept. 23 and went up the stairs and found the bags. Looking at images of how small the "park" area is, hard to see how they failed to search it early on.

As stated on the other thread, if criminals were smart they wouldn't start. A crime like this immediately puts him up against a large team of trained, motivated investigators and searchers, dedicated to finding him out. Someone who's really smart and in their right mind wouldn't put themselves on the sharp end of that.

Mainichi Japan: Jobless man arrested after girl's body found in Kobe .... Hyogo Prefectural Police searched vacant houses and other locations at the foot of stairs leading to the grassy area on Sept. 17 and 20, but failed to examine the grass. An investigator who noticed a strange odor on Sept. 23 went up the stairs to find a plastic bag. Upon tearing the bag open, a hand became visible, police said. ...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

He likely killed her away from his house, so no blood there.

You make that seem like it's easy. Killing and cutting up a body. No blood on any of his clothes?

The farther he killed her away from his apartment (not a house), the less sense it makes transporting the parts back to this area close to where they both lived. The bags are for transport. If he killed and dismembered her in the same lot, he would not (likely) have needed the bags. (And one hopes the police would have found blood evidence there.)

As far as evading police for two weeks, he got lucky with that, not smart:

I don't think anyone claims this particular suspect is "smart." He is probably not very smart at all. Identifying where the body was dismembered is critical to this case.

Looking at images of how small the "park" area is, hard to see how they failed to search it early on.

That is a worrisome fact, as it speaks to some very bad assumptions made by the searchers.

As stated on the other thread, if criminals were smart they wouldn't start.

That does not apply to individuals like the serial killer, Ted Bundy, who was deviously brilliant. They are not to be underestimated. The thing that highly intelligent, psychopathic killers like Bundy lack is any sense of empathy -- what some might call conscience.

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yabits: Killing and cutting up a body. No blood on any of his clothes? "

He had 2 weeks to get rid of bloody clothes, from her disappearance to his arrest.

I don't think anyone claims this particular suspect is "smart."

My post was in reply to a post by MH saying something like "how could he have been so clever and cunning" and IIRC the post implied maybe he was framed because he isn't that smart, but that post and my paste from it has disappeared.

... does not apply to .... like ... Ted Bundy ...

Ted Bundy was caught and executed. Criminals' average IQ is 92. Bundy's was supposed to be 136. But still caught.

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Mirai Hayashi:

" Means nothing. Its still circumstantial. He could have found the backpack and took it back to his apartment. The girl could have even been in his apartment and took off her backpack there, but this still doesn't mean he killed her. "

You are joking, right? Yes, technical "circumstantial", but her backpack in his apartment, that is one heck of a "circumstance".

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He probably killed elsewhere than his home, the weapon and stained clothes disposed of, buried somewhere or in a different bag that was thrown out 2 weeks ago. I wonder if an autopsy can tell us the approximate time of death, and how much time he had before the body was found. It's seeming like he had some time to get rid of evidence, though it's funny none of neighbors noticed suspicious behavior while Mirei-chan was missing.

Another odd thing is, he's not saying anything about the girl. I think a truly innocent person would quickly and eagerly assert they didn't do it, right? Perhaps he is trying to figure put his options within the legal system before saying anything. Or he's just got abnormal psychology going on.

I sincerely hope this case can wrap up sooner rather than later for the sake of Mirei-chan's family, with justice served.

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WillB

definition of circumstantial evidence:

Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact—like a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly—i.e., without need for any additional evidence or inference.

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Way too much circumstantial evidence, and plus with DNA forensic testing this man can be found to be guilty in a matter of days. Guess they still need to find the torso and the object used to dismember the poor victim before they can call it 110% guilty.

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