Supreme Court upholds death penalty for 'exorcist' over deaths of 6

Wednesday 17th September, 05:09 AM JST

TOKYO —

The Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday lower-court rulings that sentenced a self-claimed exorcist to death for the deaths of six followers, tossing out her not-guilty appeal. The top court said the criminal responsibility of the defendant, 61-year-old Sachiko Eto, was ‘‘exceptionally grave’’ because she formed a religious group by claiming to be a god’s messenger and condemned her followers to death by violent means using her absolute power on them.

The defense argued that Eto was not guilty, saying she had been mentally incompetent because she was being possessed, and that the court should at least be more lenient by determining her to have been partially incompetent. Eto conspired with others in beating followers with drumsticks in her house in Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, where she lived with them, between December 1994 and June 1995 as a way of forcing demons out of their bodies, the Sendai High Court said in the November 2005 ruling.

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9 Comments

OgieDoggie at 08:05 AM JST - 17th September

Eto conspired with others in beating followers with drumsticks in her house in Sukagawa,

An early attempt at trying to copy the BLUE MEN!
Altria at 09:55 AM JST - 17th September

Eto conspired with others in beating followers with drumsticks in her house in Sukagawa,

I wonder how she managed to snare these followers.
lipscombe at 10:11 AM JST - 17th September

a cymbal of all that is wrong about cults. not just tomtomfollery, totally bass behaviour.
Altria at 10:36 AM JST - 17th September

I can't believe they fell for her glockenspiel. I'd have xylophoned the police right away. At least this case shows that wrongdoings always have repercussions.
fiendish at 12:38 PM JST - 17th September

I take off my high hat to the previous commentators, If the judgment sticks. I expect she will be killed by a grim shot.
IchyaParadise at 02:13 PM JST - 17th September

Ok, someone please tell me she does not deserve the death penalty? This is just bad when someone claims to be a messenger of "god" and delivers devine punishment. And how long did it take to finally make sure she gets it?
IchyaParadise at 09:43 AM JST - 18th September

That's right Notginger, you believe she deserves worse. Sadistic, yeah baby.
barttt at 08:52 PM JST - 19th September

She deserves the death metal penalty of the thousand drum solos