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墨書 Inktalez
Just as I had finished discussing the case of Kiyotani Junko, and everyone was expressing their outrage over the killer's beastly behavior, I brought up another case involving a Japanese minor sentenced to death—the Fukuda Takayuki rape and murder case. With twenty minutes left until we reached Tianlan City, the group urged me to elaborate on this case as well. Seeing their eagerness and having time to spare, I continued.
In 1999, a murder and necrophilia case involving a minor occurred in Hikari City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. On April 14 of that year, Mr. Yoshihiro Honmura returned home after finishing work at seven o'clock only to find that his front door was not locked but merely ajar. Confused, he hurried inside to check.
After searching around, he found no sign of his wife Yayoi Momokura or their eleven-month-old daughter Yuka. The house was in disarray, as if it had been ransacked. If it had truly just been a burglary, it would have been fortunate; however, not long after, Yoshihiro discovered his wife's half-naked corpse hidden in a closet.
He immediately called the police and continued searching for his daughter. With the help of the officers, they eventually found Yuka at the top of the closet, wrapped in a plastic bag and already deceased.
Since Fukuda Takayuki did not make any effort to conceal his crime, the police quickly apprehended him. Fukuda confessed to his actions without hesitation. Around two o'clock in the afternoon on April 14, 1999, he disguised himself as a worker checking pipes and boldly rang the doorbell to enter the victim's home. His motive was simple: he intended to rape the woman of the house.
The victim fought desperately against him; thus, Fukuda strangled Yayoi Momokura with his hands until she suffocated. After her death, he did not stop there; instead, he used pre-prepared tape to bind her hands and feet and covered her mouth and nose with tape to prevent any signs of life.
Next, Fukuda committed necrophilia with Yayoi Momokura.
Throughout this ordeal, eleven-month-old Yuka cried incessantly nearby. Fukuda took her to another room, but she continued to scream and crawled back toward her mother's body. Fearing that her cries would attract the attention of neighbors, Fukuda repeatedly lifted Yuka and slammed her onto the floor. This only made Yuka cry louder, prompting Fukuda to strangle her with a rope.
Compared to the Kiyotani Junko case, this one was relatively straightforward; the killer was quickly caught. However, our focus was on what lay behind the case. Due to its severity, the local Juvenile Law court transferred the case to the district prosecutor's office for review. In court, Fukuda showed no remorse but pretended to regret his actions.
This insincere performance was obvious to everyone present; nevertheless, the local court still based its sentencing on Fukuda's claimed remorse. As a result, despite showing no intention of reforming himself, Fukuda was sentenced to life imprisonment. In reality, similar to our country’s laws, life imprisonment typically lasts only twenty years.
However, since he was a minor at the time of his crime, Fukuda would likely be released from prison in about five or six years.
At that moment, upon hearing his sentence, Fukuda shockingly flashed a victory sign at his lawyer. In letters to friends, he once wrote: "It’s just like a male dog walking down the street encountering a lovely female dog; naturally, it would mount her—does that count as a crime?"
He also wrote: "In this world, evil people ultimately win! After seven or eight years when I get out of prison, you all better throw a grand party to welcome me!"
After the first trial concluded, Yoshihiro Honmura expressed his disappointment with the judicial system: "I am disillusioned with justice; it seems that justice protects the rights of offenders while prioritizing their human rights over those of victims. Where are the rights of victims? Where are the rights of their families? If this is how justice is served, then they might as well release criminals now; I will personally kill him!"
Yoshihiro tirelessly advocated for judicial reform through various programs and finally received a response from Japan's then-Prime Minister: "The situation and demands of Yoshihiro Honmura cannot be ignored."
The case had escalated to the Hiroshima High Court due to dissatisfaction with the first-instance verdict. In 2002, the appeal was again dismissed. However, the prosecutor remained unsatisfied and decided to continue appealing to the Supreme Court. During this time, the prosecutor also discovered a letter written by Fukuda Takayuki to a friend, which showed no remorse.
Thus, the legal battle over whether Fukuda Takayuki should receive the death penalty spanned nine years from the first trial to the third. The lawyers defending Fukuda were all advocates for human rights who hoped to abolish the death penalty. Initially, there were two lawyers, but this number eventually grew to twenty-one. Meanwhile, a group of volunteer lawyers also stepped in to defend Yoshihiro Honmura, turning the case into a showdown between two opposing legal teams: one supporting the death penalty and the other against it.
Fukuda Takayuki's defense team ultimately concluded that he did not commit murder or rape intentionally but rather caused death through harm. This distinction was crucial; it implied that the killer had firmly intended to kill the victim. They argued that the prosecutor had painted Fukuda as a heinous criminal solely because they sought a death penalty verdict.
On Yoshihiro Honmura's side, although there weren't as many as twenty-one renowned defense lawyers, four thousand citizens rallied together to support him.
On April 22, 2008, despite widespread dissent, the judge ruled that Fukuda Takayuki would receive the death penalty due to his severe crimes. Many people felt a sense of relief upon hearing that this murderer had been sentenced to death, believing that their years of effort had not been in vain. However, this case was far from over.
Fukuda's defense lawyers continued to seek new avenues for appeal, citing doubts about the case. Lawyers dedicated to abolishing the death penalty remained committed to overturning this verdict. According to Japanese tradition, those sentenced to death often wait five years before execution due to concerns about wrongful convictions, which necessitates a rigorous review process.
Therefore, after the 2012 death penalty ruling, execution would not occur until at least 2017. As of now, Fukuda Takayuki remains in Hiroshima Prison.
This case began in 1999 but took twelve years before Fukuda Takayuki was sentenced to death. However, due to various human rights advocates and individuals from different sectors pushing for change, it is likely that by 2017, we may still not witness Fukuda Takayuki's execution.
At least, even if he is never executed, Fukuda Takayuki will spend his life in prison and will no longer be able to harm others. Compared to those involved in the Kiyotani Junko case, Fukuda Takayuki has received his due punishment. Those criminals who have already been released have changed their names and now live among us in ordinary society.
Perhaps they will not commit further crimes, but you will never truly know what those around you have done in their pasts.
The story concludes here; whether Fukuda Takayuki will be executed in 2017 remains an unknown factor.
Having listened to two cases involving juvenile murderers, everyone felt a strange sense of unease regarding our next pursuit: Demon Boy Guo Guoqing. At this moment, we had gathered detailed information about Guo Guoqing, including his appearance. However, Guo Guoqing was notoriously cunning; otherwise, the Special Investigation Team would not have been left without leads until they inadvertently captured him.
The light rain continued to fall steadily as people without umbrellas braved the weather while moving between platforms. A few black umbrellas suddenly appeared over our heads as we disembarked; upon closer inspection, I realized it was none other than my university classmate Yuzelin.
“It’s you!” I exclaimed involuntarily. “We haven’t seen each other since graduation—seven or eight years ago! I can’t believe you’ve become a Captain in the Criminal Investigation Team!”
As I spoke, I gave Yuzelin a punch. Yuzelin laughed and said to me, "How could I be as impressive as you? You're already the leader of the Special Investigation Team at such a young age. Let's go; I've heard this case is quite tricky. The criminal is referred to as the Demon Boy, but the Demon Boy from back then has grown up, and we don't know what more serious things he might do now!"
I nodded in agreement. While following Yuzelin outside, I said, "Yes, he committed heinous acts at just thirteen, killing four women around twenty years old. Enough about the past; let's talk about the current situation."
Yuzelin held an umbrella and spoke seriously, "There is already one victim. We inspected the scene immediately; there were no fingerprints left behind, but we found the Killer's footprints. Recently, Tianlan City has been experiencing continuous rain, making the ground muddy outside the greenhouse. We discovered a series of footprints, but they are size forty-four. Based on the shoe size, it seems they don't belong to Guo Guoqing."
Sixteen years old and size forty-four footprints. According to the information I've seen, Guo Guoqing was only about one meter fifty when he was thirteen, quite short for his age; otherwise, he wouldn't have pretended to be a lost child. Logically speaking, Guo Guoqing shouldn't have grown too tall, so these size forty-four footprints don't quite add up.
Yuzelin continued, "So we have a few hypotheses. First, the person responsible for this case is not Guo Guoqing; perhaps someone is imitating him. Second, Guo Guoqing might be deliberately wearing oversized shoes because he knows that muddy ground will leave footprints. Third, Guo Guoqing could now be over one hundred eighty centimeters tall or even six feet three inches; of course, we can't rule out exceptions."
I nodded and got into the car with a few others. I said, "Let's go check on that female corpse and see what the autopsy results say."
While driving, Yuzelin said, "It's basically similar to previous cases; the victim's tongue was cut out and stuffed into her body. The cause of death was a fatal injury to her throat; she was raped before being killed. We found semen in her body and have sent it to the lab for DNA comparison..."
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