TOKYO, Dec 13 (Kyodo) - A Japanese court on Tuesday sentenced a 68-year-old man to life in prison for fatally shooting a doctor and attacking other medical workers before an 11-hour standoff with police at his home near Tokyo last year.
In handing down the sentence as sought by prosecutors, the Saitama District Court found that Hiroshi Watanabe had the intent to kill 44-year-old Junichi Suzuki and other staff in a shotgun attack during a home visit on Jan. 27 last year.
Presiding Judge Kenji Koike dismissed arguments by the defense that the shots were accidental or not intended to kill, saying that the close-range firing of the weapon indicated otherwise.
Saying Watanabe harbored resentment toward Suzuki and the other medical workers following the death the previous day of his mother, who had been in their care, Koike said his actions were "irrational, even in consideration of his significant sense of loss over the death of his mother." ...continue reading
Source: ANNnewsCH
