crime

Trio of murder suspects exchanged Line messages leading up to the attack

17 Comments

Two women and a man under arrest for murdering a 45-year-old woman exchanged messages and planned their attack on Line in the days leading up to the incident, police said Sunday.

Hiroko Egawa, 45, was killed in her apartment in Tokyo's Adachi Ward on the night of May 3. She had been strangled with a belt and her throat was cut, Sankei Shimbun reported.

Police arrested the victim's sister, Etsuko, 43, Etsuko's former boyfriend Kaoru Fukazawa, 44, and a third woman, Mayumi Sugiyama, 37.

Police said newly discovered evidence shows that the three exchanged messages using the popular Line messaging app. One message released by police says: "Let's end this today!"

Sources say that all three suspects have denied all charges, claiming Egawa committed suicide.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

17 Comments
Login to comment

Using Line is about as common as sending a text or making a phone call. It probably has been used to plot many other crimes so shouldn't be blamed for any crime, The idiots should be blamed.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

"Sources say that all three suspects have denied all charges, claiming Egawa committed suicide. "

Really....She had been strangled with a belt and her throat was cut, Sankei Shimbun reported. Cutting and strangling urself hmmmm sounds fishy to me.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Am not familiar with "Line;" what is it?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

killed by HER OWN SISTER ....?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Oooooh! They were using Line? How terrible! Why is that even relevant? It's definitely not relevant enough to be in the headline. It's also pretty bemusing as to why it took three months for the cops to check through their communications. One would think that would be the first thing they would check.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Suicide? Really? Never heard of self-throat-cutting before. These crooks are stupid.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Why is it the media spend so much time demonising 'line' , and I wonder if they'd do it so much, if the app was a Japanese creation ?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

demonising line etc? Really? these are the septic tanks for social communication. All the standard rules of social interaction are thrown out the window. How many reports have we all read about people meeting on "line" and it going pear shaped? I thought the TV was one of the worst inventions ever created but the WWW is just amazing. Welcome to conformist totalitarianism. Where do you sign up. oops i did here........

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Why is it the media spend so much time demonising 'line' , and I wonder if they'd do it so much, if the app was a Japanese creation ?

I thought it WAS a Japanese creation? Everyone I know in Japan uses it and outside few have ever heard of it. Who invented Line?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

its just a easy way of surveilling the masses when you sign up you agree to few privacy clauses, unlike the rights of "privacy" that come with the old fashioned phone.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

DaDudeAUG. 03, 2015 - 04:18PM JST Using Line is about as common as sending a text or making a phone call. It probably has been used to plot many other crimes so shouldn't be blamed for any crime, The idiots should be blamed

Where does the article say that anyone is blaming Line for the crime?

Alistair CarnellAUG. 04, 2015 - 12:02AM JST Why is it the media spend so much time demonising 'line' , and I wonder if they'd do it so much, if the app was a Japanese creation ?

Similarly, where doe this article mention the Japanese media "demonizing" Line?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@NathalieB

I thought it WAS a Japanese creation? Everyone I know in Japan uses it and outside few have ever heard of it. Who >invented Line?

LINE was created by the Japanese subsidiary (NHN Japan) of the Korean company (NHN aka Naver Corporation) that created KaKaoTalk. It's probably why they have very similar user interfaces.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I don't use line. I go on social media and through actual texting. And strangling and then slashing the throat is known as overkill. These people really hated this woman and wanted her dead. Most likely they knew her.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Most likely they knew her.

Let's not jump to hasty conclusions!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Are they dumb? They might as well discuss it outside the local koban, probably a little safer since whoever is in there is likely sleeping anyway :p

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Very devious friends and a very dubious way to end one's life.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Probably they bought insurance policy for her before killing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites