“I’m Going to See My Ex-Boyfriend”: The Sagamihara Murder of a 17-Year-Old High School Girl—The “True Face” of the Disturbing 19-Year-Old Who Committed the Crime

The area was so dark that nothing could be seen

A horrific incident occurred on a riverbank in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, in which Ms. A (17), a high school senior residing in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, was strangled to death. The Kanagawa Prefectural Police arrested a 19-year-old boy, B—a self-proclaimed painter and her former boyfriend who lives in Minami Ward, Sagamihara City—on suspicion of murder.

The 19-year-old suspect is suspected of killing Ms. A by strangling her and other means on the riverbank in Minami Ward, Sagamihara City, at around 9:50 p.m. on June 10.

“During questioning, the juvenile has largely admitted to the charges, stating, ‘There is no mistake.’ Furthermore, he appears to have confessed that he committed the crime after Ms. A rejected his request to resume their relationship,” said a reporter from the crime desk of a national newspaper.

There is reportedly no history of either party consulting the police or filing a report regarding relationship issues between the two. Police are carefully investigating the background behind this sudden act of murder.

On the day of the incident, around 6:30 p.m., Ms. A told her family

“I’m going to meet my ex-boyfriend,”

and left her home. However, when she had not returned by late that night and all contact had been lost, her worried family called 110 late that same night.

“The police tracked her cell phone’s location and began a search in Minami Ward, Sagamihara City.In the early hours of June 11, police officers discovered Ms. A lying unconscious under a bridge. Her body was lying there uncovered, not hidden by vegetation or objects, and there were no visible signs of a murder weapon,” said an investigative source.

The area around where the body was found took on a completely different atmosphere between day and night. A male resident in his 80s, who has been farming near the riverbank for many years, recalled the tense atmosphere immediately after the incident as follows.

“Around 3:30 in the morning, just as I was heading out to my field as usual to start working, four patrol cars with their sirens blaring and one police motorcycle suddenly came racing in. There’s a slope leading down to the riverbank, and the officers all started stringing up yellow crime scene tape there at once.

A dozen or so police officers were frantically searching the area. About an hour later, an ambulance with its siren blaring sped off toward the bridge where the body had been found. I’ve been working the land here for over 30 years, but this is the first time I’ve experienced such a disturbing incident, and I’m truly terrified.”

A teenage local woman who works part-time near the scene also pointed out the dangers of the area at night.

“During the day, it’s a lively place filled with the energetic voices of children playing soccer and baseball, but at night, the streetlights go out all at once, and the area is enveloped in darkness so thick you can’t see a thing. The fact that such a terrifying incident occurred in such a dangerous, dark place has sent shockwaves through our circle of friends.”

Mr. A, whose life was taken, was beloved by those around him as a very cheerful and caring person.

A Typical “High School Debut”

A’s friend from middle school described her as

“If I had to describe her in one word, she was the kind of cheerful person who was always at the center of the class,”

.

“For all three years of junior high, she was a member of the soft tennis club and participated enthusiastically. She treated everyone cheerfully and without distinction, greeting people with a smile—she was a student with excellent communication skills.Even after entering high school, her popularity remained unchanged; she seemed to have a great many friends, and she posted numerous photos and videos on her social media showing her having a lively, fun time surrounded by a large group of friends.

“She also had younger brothers and sisters who were quite a bit younger than her, and she always took really good care of them. People around her saw her as ‘a wonderful big sister who was kind and doting toward her younger siblings,’” (said a friend from her junior high school days).

On the other hand, Boy B—the arrested self-proclaimed painter—was 19 years old, but reportedly struggled to fit in socially in his personal life, and his behavior had noticeably deteriorated in recent years.

A local acquaintance who knew Boy B from his school days testified to this transformation as follows:

“Back in junior high, he was a member of the badminton club, but he never achieved any notable results in tournaments or anything like that. He was the quiet type who didn’t stand out in class—the kind of person who stayed in the background.He gave the impression of being quiet and unremarkable right up until graduation, but around the time the first summer vacation after he entered high school ended, he suddenly started acting defiant toward those around him and began smoking—essentially making a typical ‘high school debut.’

Even during class, he would either ignore the teacher and keep fiddling with his smartphone or just lie face-down on his desk and sleep. Before long, he started riding a motorcycle without a license, and there was even an incident where he caused an accident and was hospitalized. Everyone thought he’d learn his lesson, but after he was discharged, he showed no sign of remorse and caused another similar accident—his bad behavior was truly intolerable.”

According to an acquaintance of Boy B, he is the second son of three siblings, and his older brother had already moved out of the family home and was living far away. Furthermore, behind the “unlicensed reckless driving” described by those around him, he actually lived his daily life without a driver’s license for cars or motorcycles.

“According to his aunt, who lives in the neighborhood, he didn’t have a driver’s license or a motorcycle license, and his usual mode of transportation was always a bicycle.Since it’s very inconvenient to live in this area without a car, his aunt mentioned to him sometime after April, ‘Now that you’re working, shouldn’t you at least get a moped license?’ To which he reportedly replied meekly, ‘I plan to go to a driving school and get one.’I’ve heard that he also commuted by bicycle every day to his usual job as a painter,” said a local resident.

After the incident, at the apartment where Juvenile B lived with his family in Sagamihara City. Faced with this sudden turn of events, B’s father was deeply shocked and reportedly lost for words. The social affairs reporter from the national newspaper mentioned earlier, who covered the story, explains the situation at the time.

“After the incident, I visited the boy’s family apartment in Sagamihara City. Faced with this sudden turn of events, the boy’s father was deeply shocked and found himself at a loss for words. In response to my questions, the father began to speak in a faint, barely audible voice:‘I am terribly sorry. At this stage, I have not received any detailed explanation from the police, and I myself have absolutely no grasp of what is happening,’ he began.

When asked about his current state of mind regarding the fact that his son had been arrested as a suspect in such a serious incident, the father bowed his head and said, ‘I’m truly sorry. I can’t find the words right now.’When asked again, “Do you find it hard to believe that your son could have caused such a horrific incident? Do you feel he didn’t do it?” the father shook his head but did not utter a word of denial. He simply murmured, “I don’t think that,” with tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, and quietly lowered his gaze—a scene that left a strong impression.”

According to the aforementioned social affairs reporter, regarding the victim, Ms. A, the boy’s father stated:

“I wasn’t told a single thing—neither about the woman he was seeing nor about his past girlfriends,”

.

A 19-year-old boy who, unable to accept the breakup, took his ex-girlfriend’s life on the riverbank that night. Police are conducting rigorous interrogations and analyzing physical evidence to uncover the gaps in his whereabouts on the night of the incident and the persistent motive behind the crime.