Defendant denies charges over alleged sexual filming with 23-year-old in villa basement
“All of this is completely false.”
In court, the defendant denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.
On February 17, the Tokyo District Court held the first trial for unemployed Hiroyuki Sampei (37), who is charged with murder and abandoning a body. Sampei is alleged to have killed 23-year-old woman A in June 2022 at a villa in Hitachiota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and abandoned her body in a nearby forest.
“It appears that Sampei and A met through social media. In court, the prosecution stated that the charges apply as follows: ‘He asked the woman to film sexual acts with him and then caused her death by suffocation,’ and ‘The last time the woman was confirmed alive was in a video filmed by Sampei.’
On the other hand, Sampei’s defense argued: ‘The filming was conducted with the woman’s consent, and there was no conflict between the two,’ and ‘There is no direct evidence that the woman was killed and the body discarded.’ Sampei is expected to remain silent during future proceedings,” said a national newspaper’s judicial reporter.
“FRIDAY” reported on the case in detail in its July 8, 2022 issue. Here is a summary of the incident and expert analysis of the background of the conflict.
This was only the second time they met
“Sampei handcuffed A in the villa’s basement and reportedly held her captive for two hours. His smartphone contained images and videos of the woman restrained with handcuffs. The body was found about 1 km from the location where she was believed to have been confined, and she was not wearing any clothing,” said an investigation source.
Sampei and A reportedly continued communicating via social media before meeting in person.
“On June 5, 2022, the day A went missing, security cameras at JR Mito Station captured her getting into Sampei’s car. During police questioning, Sampei stated, ‘This was only the second time we met,’” said another investigation source.
The villa where the confinement occurred is about an hour by car from Mito Station, and Sampei’s main residence was in Minamiashigara, Kanagawa Prefecture. Crime journalist and former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective Taihei Ogawa analyzed the background of the case.
“The motive for the crime is unclear, but it’s likely that the woman refused some excessive or demanding request from the defendant. At the time, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people relied on social media for communication. Even with strangers, continued messaging could create the illusion of a trust relationship.
Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in cases where social media relationships are exploited to harm young women. Women should avoid meeting someone they met online one-on-one. If meeting in person is unavoidable, inform family or close friends in advance—e.g., ‘I’m meeting so-and-so at such-and-such station’—and never go to the person’s home. Choose a public place like a café. Trusting someone you don’t know is extremely dangerous.”
Since Sampei refused to answer questions during the initial trial mentioned earlier, the examination will proceed through witness testimony.
PHOTO： Shinji Hasuo