Takahiro Shiraishi: Japan executes ‘Twitter Killer’ who murdered, dismembered nine people

Japan has executed Takahiro Shiraishi, the man known as the “Twitter killer,” after he was convicted of murdering and dismembering nine people, most of them women.

His execution, by hanging, took place Friday at the Tokyo Detention House. It was Japan’s first use of capital punishment in nearly three years.

Shiraishi, 34, was sentenced to death in 2020 after pleading guilty to the killings. His victims included eight women and one man.

He was arrested in October 2017 after police searched his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo.

They were investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had posted suicidal thoughts on social media, including Twitter—now known as X.

Inside his home, police found three cooler boxes and five containers filled with human heads and bones.

The flesh had been scraped off, according to CNN affiliate TV Asahi, citing police sources.

The gruesome discovery shocked the nation and led to growing concerns about the role of social media in suicide and crime.

According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK and TV Asahi, the nine victims were between 15 and 26 years old.

Many had posted online about wanting to die and were later contacted by Shiraishi through social media.

Using an account name that loosely translated to “hangman,” Shiraishi promised to help them end their lives, according to the Jiji news agency.

He lured them to his apartment, where he killed them.

In court, Shiraishi admitted to murdering the victims.

He said he had done so to satisfy his own sexual desires, NHK and TV Asahi reported.

In December 2020, he was found guilty of murder, rape, and dismemberment.

He kept the victims’ remains in his apartment.

Although his lawyer appealed the ruling, Shiraishi later withdrew the appeal. The death sentence was finalized.

“This case, driven by selfish motives such as sexual and financial gratification, resulted in the deaths of nine individuals over two months – a deeply serious incident that has caused shock and anxiety across society,” Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said at a press conference on Friday.

“I understand it is an especially heartbreaking case for both the victims and their families,” he added.

However, not everyone felt that execution was the right outcome.

The father of one of the victims told NHK he would have preferred Shiraishi to spend the rest of his life thinking about his crimes.

He said he’d rather have seen him “spend his life reflecting on the crimes he committed, than simply losing it through death penalty.”

Shiraishi’s execution is the first in Japan since July 2022.

In Japan, death sentences are carried out by hanging.

The government does not disclose execution dates in advance. Families and lawyers are usually informed only after the execution takes place.

“The death sentence was finalized following a thorough trial process,” Suzuki said. “After careful and deliberate consideration of all factors, I issued the execution order.”

(CNN)

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