Takahiro Shiraishi, Japan’s ‘Twitter Killer’, executed for killing 9 women

Japan: Takahiro Shiraishi, also famously dubbed as the 'Twitter killer,' has been executed for the murder of nine people who were found dead and dismantled by the police in his apartment. This marks the first time that Japan has put into effect its capital punishment since 2022.

The 30-year-old Shiraishi admitted to murdering 9 victims after luring them to his flat in Japan from the social media platform of Twitter. The victims were mostly young women between the age of 15 to 26 and were the ones who connected with him through Twitter. Shirashi lured them by offering to help them end their lives after they had reached out having suicidal thoughts . 

His Twitter platform contained the words ,"I want to help people who are really in pain. Please DM [direct message] me anytime." Luring suicidal victims to his apartment with the promise to help them die or even commit suicide together with them.  

The situation was brought to light in 2017 October when police were in search of one of the victims when they found dismantled body parts in the coolers and tool boxes in his flat at the Japanese city of Zama, near Tokyo 

During  the trial as the prosecutors issued a death sentence, his lawyers pleaded for him to be given a lesser charge calling for an assessment of his mental state and claiming that he was killing his victims with their consent since they did want to commit suicide when they approached him. But he refuted his own defence team claims, testifying that he didn’t kill with consent. 

In December 2020 hundreds showed up to hear the final verdict of the case where Keisuke Suzuki, Japan’s justice minister ordered he be executed as he was acting selfishly to satisfy his own sexual and financial desires; also the fact that the case has caused great shock and anxiety to society. 

The case led to the amendment of some of Twitter rules with one stating that users should not "promote or encourage suicide or self-harm."

Many have taken to social media to voice their opinions on the Twitter killer with some saddened that this had to take so long to be done with many supporting the prosecution with one user writing on the Facebook platform, “This is one of a few examples of when capital punishment is actually appropriate.”