15-Year-Old Girl Accused Of Murdering, Dismembering Classmate Arrested


A 15-year-old girl has been accused of murdering and dismembering her classmate, Japanese officials claim. The girl, whose name has not been shared with the public, was arrested this week, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

According to the news site, translating from a report by the Kyodo news agency, said the suspect admitted to strangling the victim and severing her head and left hand.

More from SMH:

She allegedly delivered blows to the head of 15-year-old Aiwa Matsuo with a metal instrument before strangling her in the city of Sasebo, in Nagasaki Prefecture, south-west Japan.

The victim’s body was found on a bed in the suspect’s apartment early on Sunday and investigators discovered tools nearby, reports said.

The suspect, who lived away from her parents though in the same city, told police she acted alone, the news agency reported.

Matsuo had reportedly gone out to meet friends on Saturday afternoon but her parents notified police when she failed to return at night.

The two girls graduated from the same high school.

The crime is an especially shocking one since violent crime in Japan has been very rare. Still, recent years have seen some high-profile reports hit the world stage. In 2004, SMH notes, the city of Sasebo made headlines when a primary schoolgirl stabbed her classmate to death.

Another stabbing case occurred in 2008 in a crowded Tokyo street, where a man killed seven people and wounded 12 others.

It’s not yet known what kind of sentence the unnamed assailant could be facing for dismembering her classmate, but considering both girls were graduated from high school, it’s likely that she will be punished to the fullest extent of Japanese law.

In a separate report from The Japan Times, the suspect was described by former classmates as “very smart, with emotional ups and downs.”

“She is a very candid girl, and I used to play tag with her,” said an 18-year-old former classmate. “She showed signs of being emotionally unstable and often started crying when she had an argument with someone.”

The principal of the high school where the suspect and victim attended described their feelings as being “so sad and frustrated.”

“We have kept calling attention to the value of life, but the message has not been delivered,” the unnamed principal added.

Do you think killing and dismembering a classmate or anyone, even at the young age of 15, should mean being tried as an adult? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

[Image via ShutterStock]

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