Death penalty sought for 25-year-old man over 2016 dagger attack on unknown Osaka family that killed

Mar 16, 2018 | News On Japan

Mar 16, 2018 (Japan Times) - Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for a 25-year-old man who allegedly stabbed a man to death with a dagger and injured his three children at their home in Osaka Prefecture in 2016.

During the trial at the Osaka District Court on Thursday, the prosecutors said Yuma Kobayashi aimed to kill the entire family, with whom he was unacquainted, while they slept. Defense lawyers have argued he is mentally incompetent and cannot be held criminally responsible for the attack.

According to the indictment, Kobayashi broke into the house of carpenter Yukinobu Kawakami, 43, in the city of Kadoma on Oct. 19, 2016, killing him with a dagger and injuring his 20-year-old and 19-year-old daughters as well as his 17-year-old son.

Kobayashi, who had a history of schizophrenia, has denied the allegations, saying there are many things he does not recall doing. The defense team told the first court hearing earlier this month that Kobayashi "brought the dagger upon receiving orders from three unidentified men through brainwaves and found Kawakami in a pool of blood."

Calling his acts "extremely cruel," the prosecutors said Kobayashi "flagrantly made light of lives" and that the death penalty cannot be avoided.

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