Indefinite Term Given in Saitama 2022 Triple Murder

Saitama, March 16 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese district court Monday sentenced a man to an indefinite prison term for murdering three family members, including a U.S. citizen, in the city of Hanno in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, in December 2022. The criminal responsibility of the defendant, Jun Saito, 43, was at issue in the trial at Saitama District Court, presided over by Judge Hideki Igeta. Public prosecutors sought the death penalty. During the trial, the prosecution claimed that he was fully accountable, describing the crime as “heinous, highly brutal and extremely vicious.” But the defense argued that Saito was not criminally responsible due to mental illness. According to the indictment and other sources, Saito killed U.S. national William Ross Bishop Jr., 69, and two members of his family by slashing their heads and necks with an ax, at the couple’s house at around 7 a.m. on Dec. 25, 2022. Saito then poured kerosene at the site. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]