Fukuoka family murder case

The Fukuoka family murder case (福岡一家4人殺害事件, Fukuoka ikka yonin satsugai jiken) refers to the robbery-murder case, perpetrated by three Chinese international students, which occurred in the Higashi-ku ward of Fukuoka, Japan on June 18th, 2003.

Outline of the incident

On June 20, 2003, four bodies were found in Hakata Bay. The corpses had been strangled to death, and investigation revealed that the bodies of the four men belonged to a nearby man, Shinjiro Matsumoto (Japanese: 松本 真二郎), his wife Chika (Japanese: 千加), and two children aged 11 and 8. Three suspects were identified from witness testimony near the discovery site and footage of security camera at the store where the handcuffs and dumbbells used for the crime were sold. They drove the four into a car, handcuffed them, and sank their bodies into the sea.

Yang Ning (楊 寧) and Wang Liang (王 亮) had returned to China where they were arrested. Wei Wei (魏 巍) was detained by police in another case.

The three assailants said, "I committed a crime for the purpose of robbery". Chika and Shinjiro ran a high-end restaurant, and Wang arrived by accident on the way to a part-time job. He parked in a Mercedes-Benz, so he thought, "There must be a bank deposit of around tens of millions of yen in Matsumoto's house."[1] Some of the victims' survivors said, "For the purpose of robbery, the amount of cash stolen was as small as about 40,000 yen, and there were many suspicious points, such as the fact that valuables such as cameras were left behind. Besides the three, there is a suspicion that accomplice may be present."[2]

Progress of criminal trials

Hearing by the Chinese side (Yang and Wang)

The Chinese government did not respond officially, including when the accused Wei charged with the Japanese side was sentenced to death as described below, but the criminal trial on the Chinese side proceeded in step with Japan. Attention is paid to the sentencing balance and public opinion trends between Japan and China.[3]

Yang and Wang were arrested by public security officials in China and charged on July 27, 2004, about one year after the case, and they were sentenced to severe punishment by prosecutors at the first trial on October 19, 2004.[4] On January 24, 2005, the Liaoyang Intermediate People's Court sentenced Yang to death and Wang to life imprisonment.[5]

Yang was sentenced to death on February 3, 2005.[4][3] His death sentence was confirmed in the Liaoyang Superior People's Court after a ruling to dismiss the appeal, and Yang was executed on July 12, 2005 at 25 years of age.[6]

Hearing by the Japanese side (Wei Wei)

In Japan, Wei was indicted on March 23, 2004 by Judge Hiroshi Suyama of the Fukuoka District Court . The fact of prosecution was largely confirmed in the first trial,[7] and on February 1, 2005, opening statements began whether the Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office should seek the death penalty.[4]

On May 19, 2005, the trial of the first trial was held, and the Fukuoka District Court (Presiding Judge Kawaguchi) sentenced Wei to death.[8] The Court of Appeals turned away from the silent first instance and gave detailed testimony on the motive, the criminal process, the role of the three, and the apology to the victim's bereaved family. On March 8, 2007, the Court of Appeals upheld Wei Wei's appeal in favor of the first instance and death sentence in a trial of the appeal decision.[9]

Wei's appealed to the Supreme Court, but on October 20, 2011, Shiraki Isamu (Japanese: 白木勇). the presiding judge handed down the ruling dismissing Wei's appeal in his appeal decision.[10] The death sentence was finalized in the following month.[11]

Approximately eight years and one month after the death penalty was sentenced, Minister of Justice Masako Mori issued an execution order for Wei on December 23, 2019. On December 26, he was executed at Fukuoka Detention House at the age of 40.[11]

References
  1. "緊急特集　東区一家4人殺害事件 ＞ 「死体隠せば捕まらぬ」　口封じ最初から計画　検察冒陳「数千万円あるはず」　東区一家殺害初公判". Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). Nishinippon Shimbun Co., Ltd. 2004-03-23. Archived from the original on 2005-10-26. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  2. "緊急特集　東区一家4人殺害事件 ＞ 遺族が再捜査要請　福岡市東区一家殺害　「共犯いるはず」". Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). Nishinippon Shimbun Co., Ltd. 2004-02-05. Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  3. "福岡一家殺害 X被告近く二審判決か 中国側、対日動向踏まえ判断へ". Nishinippon Shimbun (Morning issue). 2005-05-20. p. 5.
  4. "福岡市東区一家殺害の経過". Nishinippon Shimbun (Morning issue). 2005-05-20. p. 30.
  5. "緊急特集　東区一家4人殺害事件 ＞ 楊被告に死刑　王被告無期　東区一家殺害　残虐な犯行明白　中国法院判決　王被告の自首認定　楊被告控訴の意向". Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). Nishinippon Shimbun Co., Ltd. 2005-01-24. Archived from the original on 2007-10-17. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  6. "中国人被告に死刑執行／福岡一家４人殺害事件". Shikoku Shimbun (in Japanese). 四国新聞社. 2005-07-25. Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  7. "緊急特集　東区一家4人殺害事件 ＞ 魏被告　罪状大筋認める　東区一家殺害　初公判　困窮、焦り犯行　福岡地裁　検察、冒陳で指摘". Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). Nishinippon Shimbun Co., Ltd. 2004-03-23. Archived from the original on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  8. "東区一家殺害事件 Z被告に死刑 福岡地裁判決 『身勝手かつ冷酷』 共謀、『従属』と認めず". Nishinippon Shimbun (Morning issue). 2005-05-20. p. 1.
  9. "福岡市一家殺害、魏巍被告に控訴審も死刑判決". Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 読売新聞社. 2007-03-08. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  10. "福岡一家殺害、元中国人留学生の死刑確定へ". The Nikkei (in Japanese). Nikkei, Inc. 2011-10-20. Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  11. "福岡の一家4人強殺、死刑執行　中国人の元専門学校生　森法相初の命令". Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). Nishinippon Shimbun Co., Ltd. 2019-12-26. Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
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