Japanese serial killer offered suicide help to his victims

This article is more than 12 months old

Nov 02, 2017 06:00 am

TOKYO: A Japanese man arrested after police found nine dismembered corpses rotting in his house has confessed to killing all his victims over a two-month spree after contacting them via Twitter, media reports said yesterday.

Authorities were quizzing Takahiro Shiraishi, 27, who has reportedly confessed to hacking the flesh off the bodies and throwing it out with the trash, and then sprinkling cat litter over the remains to cover up the evidence.

He used to work as a part-time scout in a prostitution ring based in Shinjuku's seedy Kabukicho district, reported local media.

Shiraishi was arrested in February for being involved in organised crime but was given a suspended prison term.

He told police that he had contacted his victims on Twitter and killed them "on the day he met" them, according to several media citing police sources.

He moved to the flat in Zama, a south-western suburban of Tokyo on Aug 22 and befriended the victims by tweeting that he would help with their suicide plans, the Mainichi Shimbun daily reported. - AFP