Jan 26, 2019 (NHK) - A Japanese district court has sentenced a 40-year-old man to 16 years in prison for killing a university student in a road rage incident last year.
Former security guard Akihiro Nakamura was charged with killing university student Takumi Takata in the city of Sakai in Osaka Prefecture last July.
Prosecutors said Nakamura became enraged when Takata overtook his car on a motorbike. They said the defendant then tailgated Takata and intentionally crashed into his vehicle.
In court, the prosecutors played footage taken by the defendant's dash-cam. They said it showed he acted with murderous intent and demanded an 18-year sentence.
Nakamura denied intentionally hitting the motorbike. His lawyer argued that his actions didn't constitute murder.
On Friday, Osaka District Court presiding judge Takehiro Yasunaga disagreed.
Yasunaga determined that, based on the dash-cam recording, the defendant knew that death could result from the collision.
The judge also referred to a remark captured by the dash-cam right after the crash. Nakamura can be heard saying, "It's over."
The defendant argued that he was referring to his own life.
Source: ANNnewsCH
