Japan’s ‘Twitter killer’ given death penalty for nine murders

A Japanese man dubbed the “Twitter killer” was sentenced to death by a Tokyo court Tuesday for murdering and dismembering nine people he met online.

Takahiro Shiraishi, 30, admitted killing and butchering his young victims — all but one of whom were women — who he met on the social media platform.

His lawyers had argued he should receive a prison sentence because his victims, aged between 15 and 26, expressed suicidal thoughts on social media and so had consented to death.

But on Tuesday “the death sentence was handed down” to Shiraishi, a court official told AFP.

“None of the nine victims consented to be killed, including silent consent,” the judge said, according to public broadcaster NHK.