Man sentenced to death for robbery-murder in southwest Japan

A 39-year-old man was sentenced to death on Tuesday for murdering a woman and her son and robbing them in their home in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, in 2020.

During the trial at the Oita District Court, prosecutors sought the death penalty for Shoichi Sato, presenting evidence including DNA from the trunk of Sato’s car that matched that of the female victim, Takako Yamana, but his defense team insisted on his innocence.

The file photo taken in April 2022 shows the Oita District Court. (Kyodo)

In its closing argument, the defense pointed out that analysis of blood stains found in Sato’s car revealed a DNA type that did not match either of the victims or Sato’s DNA, and insisted that someone else committed the crime.

According to the indictment, on February 2, 2020, Sato stabbed 79-year-old Takako Yamana and her 51-year-old son Hiroyuki, a postal worker, multiple times at their residence in the United States, stealing about 88,000 yen ($540).

About a year and eight months after the incident, Sato was arrested by police.

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