Man Pleads Not Guilty to Triple Murder in Saitama Pref.

Saitama, Feb. 16 (Jiji Press)–A 43-year-old man accused of murder and other charges Monday pleaded not guilty to killing three members of a family at a house in Hanno, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, in December 2022. In the first hearing of his lay judge trial at Saitama District Court, defendant Jun Saito said he does not know about the case. The defense said that Saito was not the culprit, adding that even if he was, he would not be guilty given his diminished capacity. Meanwhile, the prosecution said in its opening statement that Saito was considered to have committed the crime, based on security camera footage and evidence found at his home, such as an ax. He had schizophrenia at the time, but his capacity to judge right from wrong and control his actions was not significantly damaged, the prosecution added. The ruling will be handed down March 16. According to the indictment, Saito killed U.S. national William Ross Bishop Jr., 69, his wife, Izumi Morita, 68, and their 32-year-old daughter by striking their heads and necks with an ax at their house in Hanno and set it on fire. The incident happened around 7 a.m. Dec. 25, 2022. Local police arrested Saito, who lived near the family, on the same day. He refused to discuss the case. Before the incident, Saito had damaged a vehicle parked at the family’s house. He was indicted in December 2023 after two periods of detention for expert examinations that lasted 10 months in total. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]