Omuta murders
Encyclopedia
The were committed by the leader family of . The yakuza
gang was based in Omuta
, Fukuoka
, Japan
, and was affiliated with the Dojin-kai
syndicate. The four family members were sentenced to death for the murder of four people between 18 September and 20 September 2004.
On September 18, 2004, Mami, her husband and two sons strangled Sayoko and shot dead Sayoko's 18-year-old son and his 17-year-old friend . They put the victims in a car, which went into a river. On September 20, they strangled Sayoko's 15-year-old son .
The half-naked body of Joji was found on September 21. When the police arrested Mami on September 22, she confessed to the killing of the other three victims. The police found the car containing the bodies of the three victims in the Suwa River in Omuta.
Mami's husband was the leader of Kitamura-gumi. Her first son, was the son of Mami's former husband and had become Jitsuo's stepson. Her second son was . Both Takashi and Takahiro were former sumo
wrestlers, known respectively as and , with the family name Ishibashi.
Jitsuo made an unsuccessful attempt to kill himself with a handgun. Takashi escaped from the police, but was recaptured. Jitsuo insisted that he had committed the murders alone, but the police regarded Mami as the main offender.
They were disobedient even during their trials. On October 17, 2006, Mami and Takahiro were sentenced to death. Jitsuo and Takashi were sentenced to death on February 28, 2007. On December 25, 2007, the Fukuoka high court upheld the original sentence for Mami and Takahiro, and then Takahiro screamed in the court, "Merry Christmas". On March 27, 2008, the Fukuoka high court also upheld the original sentence for Jitsuo and Takashi.
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
gang was based in Omuta
Omuta, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 127,126 and the density of 1,558.87 persons per km²...
, Fukuoka
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and was affiliated with the Dojin-kai
Dojin-kai
The is a yakuza organization headquartered in Kurume, Fukuoka on the Kyushu island of Japan, a designated yakuza syndicate, with approximately at least 850 members....
syndicate. The four family members were sentenced to death for the murder of four people between 18 September and 20 September 2004.
Summary
had borrowed money from a 58-year-old woman .On September 18, 2004, Mami, her husband and two sons strangled Sayoko and shot dead Sayoko's 18-year-old son and his 17-year-old friend . They put the victims in a car, which went into a river. On September 20, they strangled Sayoko's 15-year-old son .
The half-naked body of Joji was found on September 21. When the police arrested Mami on September 22, she confessed to the killing of the other three victims. The police found the car containing the bodies of the three victims in the Suwa River in Omuta.
Mami's husband was the leader of Kitamura-gumi. Her first son, was the son of Mami's former husband and had become Jitsuo's stepson. Her second son was . Both Takashi and Takahiro were former sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestlers, known respectively as and , with the family name Ishibashi.
Jitsuo made an unsuccessful attempt to kill himself with a handgun. Takashi escaped from the police, but was recaptured. Jitsuo insisted that he had committed the murders alone, but the police regarded Mami as the main offender.
They were disobedient even during their trials. On October 17, 2006, Mami and Takahiro were sentenced to death. Jitsuo and Takashi were sentenced to death on February 28, 2007. On December 25, 2007, the Fukuoka high court upheld the original sentence for Mami and Takahiro, and then Takahiro screamed in the court, "Merry Christmas". On March 27, 2008, the Fukuoka high court also upheld the original sentence for Jitsuo and Takashi.
External links
- Mob wife arrested for dumping body The Japan TimesThe Japan TimesThe Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
September 23, 2004 - Mom, boys pulled from watery grave following yakuza wife's The Japan TimesThe Japan TimesThe Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
September 25, 2004 - Arrest made over bodies found in river The Japan TimesThe Japan TimesThe Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
September 26, 2004 - Murder suspect escapes unlocked interrogation room The Japan TimesThe Japan TimesThe Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
November 14, 2004 - Mobster's wife, son to hang for four murders in 2004 The Japan TimesThe Japan TimesThe Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
October 18, 2006 - Mom, son's death sentences upheld The Japan TimesThe Japan TimesThe Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
December 26, 2007