Hammer-Wielding Man Storms Upstairs: Family Faces Terrifying Attack

A woman with her head split open, bleeding

“Suddenly, we heard someone banging on the front door and screaming, ‘Help! Call the police!’ When my husband went outside, there was Ms. B, her head split open and blood dripping. The blood from Ms. B covered our front entrance—it was all soaked in blood.”

A resident of the house where the victim sought help recalled the events of that day.

On August 2, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigation Division arrested 21-year-old Keito Degura, of unknown occupation, on suspicion of trespassing and attempted murder. Degura allegedly broke into a residence in Edogawa Ward and struck a 70-year-old woman, Ms. A, and a 50-year-old woman, Ms. B, multiple times with a hammer-like object, attempting to kill them. Both victims sustained severe injuries, including skull fractures. Degura fled the scene on foot but was later apprehended through surveillance camera investigation.

“When the incident occurred, a woman in her 20s, Ms. C, was also present but was unharmed. Ms. C’s grandmother is Ms. A, and her aunt is Ms. B. They had happened to visit the house and were caught up in the incident,” said a journalist from a national newspaper.

The tragedy occurred in a quiet residential area of Edogawa Ward on July 30, around 5:30 p.m., still daylight.

The aforementioned neighbor continued:

“The house where it happened was normally occupied by Ms. C, her parents, and her younger sister. Her mother and sister were out shopping and returned about five minutes after the incident. If they had returned a little earlier, they might have been involved in the incident. The younger sister was shaking in fear inside my house, saying, ‘The house is covered in blood.’”

Another neighbor, a man in his 50s, described the day:

“I heard banging and voices shouting ‘Help.’ When I went outside, there were four or five police cars and an ambulance, which was shocking. Some people called 110 after hearing the screams. Ms. A was receiving first aid on a stretcher, while Ms. B was sitting and talking with four or five emergency personnel.”

A woman in her 50s who also lived nearby said that on the day of the incident, Ms. B recounted the event to her.

The woman in her 20s, who had been sleeping on the second floor

“When the intercom rang, Grandma (A) asked, ‘Who is it?’ and the perpetrator replied, ‘I’m C-chan’s friend.’ When she opened the front door, she was suddenly struck with a hammer. A screamed loudly while shouting, ‘C, call the police!’

C-chan, who had been feeling unwell and was sleeping on the second floor that day, immediately hid upon hearing the screams. She hid behind some furniture that had been moved earlier for termite extermination. Shortly after C hid, the perpetrator went upstairs, but seeing the scattered furniture, he immediately returned downstairs.”

After coming back to the first floor, Degura struck B in the living room with a hammer and demanded, “Give me your phone and credit card PIN.” C told the police that Degura had entered the house mentioning her name, but that she and Degura had no prior acquaintance, although they had attended the same elementary and middle schools.

Suspicious people had reportedly been seen around the area before; a local woman said she had spotted a suspicious person at the same house back in December of last year.

Suspicious behavior had also been observed at the same location a year earlier

“On December 15 of last year, I happened to wake up around 2 a.m. and looked outside casually. Then I saw a suspicious person inside the premises of that house, peering through the mailbox. The person then went around to the back of the property. I immediately called the police, but by the time an officer arrived on a bicycle, the suspicious person had already fled.”

Of course, it’s unknown whether that suspicious person was Degura. However, the woman recalled, “If that was the same person, perhaps they were targeting C-chan.”

Meanwhile, there was also testimony from a man in his 60s: “About a year ago, a male acquaintance tried to leave his house by car in the morning, but a young man he had never seen before was standing in front of the house. He left but felt uneasy and returned, only to find the man doing something near the front door. He tried to catch him, but after a scuffle shouting ‘What are you doing?!’, the man pushed him and escaped. When this case was broadcast on TV, my acquaintance saw the culprit’s face and said, ‘It’s him. There’s no way I could mistake that face.’”

Degura lived about 300 meters—less than a 10-minute walk—from the attacked house. A woman living near his residence said, “I’d seen him when he was small, but I haven’t seen him at all recently.”

“Degura denies the charges, claiming he has ‘no recollection’ of the events. Meanwhile, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police seized a note from his home that hinted at suicidal thoughts. Investigators are considering the possibility that he acted out of desperation,” a police reporter said.

Why he decided to attack someone with a hammer, even if acting out of despair, remains a question. It may become clear as the investigation continues.