24-year-old man who loves reading Yukio Mishima and Soseki Natsume “stabbed an unacquainted high school girl multiple times and killed her?

‘She always greeted me when she saw me. She was such a bright and pleasant girl. …… I can’t believe it.

A woman who lives near the crime scene mourned the dead girl.

The tragic incident took place just after 8 p.m. on April 14. The location was an apartment building in a residential area in Saitama City, about 2 km west of JR Saikyo Line Minami-Yono Station. Reina Tegara, 15, a first-year high school student living there, was stabbed multiple times in the upper half of her body on the premises and died.

Immediately after the incident, Ms. Tegara’s brother told us that a member of her family had been stabbed by a knife. “Immediately after, Ms. Tegara’s brother called 110 and said, ‘A family member has been stabbed with a knife. When police officers rushed to the apartment, they found Mr. Tegara lying near the entrance, bleeding profusely. He was taken to the hospital, but was confirmed dead.

The man believed to be the assailant was taken into custody about 20 minutes after the incident. The man appeared at a police box about 1.2 km away from the crime scene. However, the police station was unmanned, so he asked a passerby nearby to call 110. The police officer who arrived at the police station secured the man.

The mother who raised him also died. ……

The man had cuts on both hands and was treated at a hospital. After waiting for him to recover, the Saitama Prefectural Police Investigation Department arrested Hiroyuki Taniuchi, 24, of unknown address and occupation, on suspicion of murder on April 15.

Taniuchi had been living and working at a construction company near the site since October of last year. On the day of the incident, he had been working since early morning and returned to the dormitory attached to the company around 2 pm. It was after 6:30 p.m. when he finished dinner and went out.

However, no connection between Mr. Tegara and the suspect Taniuchi has been found. No history was found on Taniuchi’s smartphone, which was confiscated, to support his relationship with Ms. Tegara. It is possible that he left the company’s dormitory and wandered around the area for about an hour and a half, and happened to see a high school girl he did not know returning to her apartment and decided to commit the crime.

As the investigation progressed, Taniuchi’s true identity gradually came to light.

The suspect used to live in Tokyo, but his parents divorced. His mother, who raised him, died a few years ago. He drank alcohol, but was not very social and spent most of his time reading books. His favorite authors were Yukio Mishima and Soseki Natsume, and we are told that their books lined his bookshelves.

When the police raided the dormitory room, they found two knives and other knives that appeared to be brand new. The room does not have a kitchen, and there is a communal dining hall in the dormitory. Since there was no evidence that the knives had been used for cooking, the idea that the crime had been planned in advance has emerged,” said another reporter from the Social Affairs Department.

The crime was extremely selfish.”

Taniuchi has remained silent about the incident, even though he has responded to police chats. When this magazine’s photographer photographed Taniuchi immediately after his arrest on April 15, he was silent and appeared to be lost in thought.

Crime journalist Taihei Ogawa, a former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective, offers a surprising perspective on the case.

It is doubtful that the suspect and the deceased high school girl knew each other at all. Usually, street crimes are committed in front of busy train stations because there are many targets. This time, however, the crime took place in an apartment building in a residential area. Moreover, it was after 8:00 p.m. and there would have been few pedestrians.

The suspect lived near the scene of the crime and may have seen the victim high school girl. It is possible that he was exposed to bright and pleasant words and actions and developed a complex in comparison with his own less fortunate life. If so, it would be an extremely selfish crime.”

At the scene of the incident, flowers and offerings of flowers are constantly being offered by classmates and neighbors in memory of the deceased Tegara.