Maid strangled to death in hotel…37-year-old man “distorted beliefs of stupefying motive for crime”

‘I strangled and killed a woman: ……’

At dawn on July 11, a man surrendered himself at a police box near JR Ikebukuro Station (Toshima Ward, Tokyo). The police officers at the police box immediately began investigating. In a guest room of a love hotel several hundred meters away, the body of a woman was found lying in the bathtub.

The suspect, Yuta Miyagi, 37, a self-proclaimed part-time worker at a convenience store in Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, was arrested by the Ikebukuro Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of murder. He allegedly strangled Fuuka Yamaguchi, 18, of unknown occupation, who lived in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, to death inside the hotel.

The suspect and Ms. Yamaguchi entered the hotel on the 10th, the day before the incident. Miyagi told police that he strangled her for about 10 minutes using both arms. What is puzzling is that Miyagi stayed at the hotel for 12 hours after the crime. He told the police that he was wondering whether to turn himself in or not.

Preparing a knife in advance

The two became acquainted about a year ago. Miyagi, who attended an event at a maid cafe, took a liking to Ms. Yamaguchi, and they met three times after that.

It appears that this was not a spontaneous incident, but a premeditated one. The suspect Miyagi had prepared a knife in advance. Ms. Yamaguchi’s neck had scratches on it as if she had been cut, as well as marks from being strangled.

The motive for the crime was appalling. The suspect Miyagi told the police, “I thought (Ms. Yamaguchi) was my girlfriend.

I thought (Ms. Yamaguchi) was my girlfriend. （I stole her smartphone, and when I found out about the existence of another man, I exploded with anger.

If his statement is correct, he killed Ms. Yamaguchi based on his selfish beliefs. Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Taihei Ogawa said.

I have the impression that crimes based on assumptions are on the increase these days. The use of social networking services (SNS), where people exchange short messages without talking to each other directly, is probably having an impact. Short messages on LINEs, etc., tend to be interpreted in one’s own way, without knowing the true intentions of the other party. This is why it is so important to communicate with people in person. The suspect in this case probably thought that the woman was doing him a favor through their communication.

The fact that he remained at the crime scene for 12 hours after the crime was committed is probably a sign of distorted affection. He told her that he would stay by her side even after her death. …… However, if the body is left for a long period of time, it will naturally emit a strange odor. I think he couldn’t stand it any longer and turned himself in.”

Miyagi entered the hotel with the intent to kill. His inflected love for her resulted in the loss of a teenage girl’s life.