University student killed in apartment; suspect dies in fire in apartment below

Apr 30, 2021 | News On Japan

Apr 30, 2021 (Japan Today) - A man in his 40s is suspected of killing a 21-year-old university student in her apartment and then killing himself by setting fire to his own apartment one floor below in Daito, Osaka Prefecture, on Wednesday.

Police identified the body of the murdered woman as Momona Yoshioka, Fuji TV reported. She was a fourth-year private university student and lived alone in her apartment.

At around 6:50 a.m. on Wednesday, another tenant in the building called 110 to report hearing a woman screaming. Yoshioka was found collapsed and bleeding inside her apartment. Police said she had several wounds inflicted on her head and was lying face down beside her bed. The bedroom was covered in blood, and a blood-stained crowbar was on the floor. Yoshioka was taken to hospital where she was declared dead.

Police also detected the smell of oil coming from the apartment directly below her where they discovered a fire had destroyed much of the apartment. The man who lived there was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police suspect the man murdered killed Yoshioka and then returned to his apartment which he torched.

An emergency ladder was found connecting the balconies of the suspect’s second-floor apartment and Yoshioka’s on the third floor.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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