Chiba Shoko
Woman sentenced to death commits suicide in Sendai jail cell
29th December 2008
SENDAI —
Officials from Miyagi prison in Sendai City said Monday that a woman in their custody had committed suicide on Sunday.
Masako Chiba, 46, was found hanging by a sheet under the window in her cell at around 11.30 a.m. Sunday and was rushed to hospital, but was confirmed dead at 12.45 p.m. Prison staff found a suicide note in the cell.
Chiba was sentenced to death by the Morioka District Court for the murder of a Buddhist priest and his mother in June last year in Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture, but was in the process of appealing that sentence.
The Sendai District Public Prosecutor’s Office will conduct an autopsy on Monday to confirm the cause of death.
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Woman sentenced to death for murder-robbery at Iwate temple
October 09th, 2008
MORIOKA
The Morioka District Court sentenced a 46-year-old woman to death Wednesday for killing a temple priest and his mother and robbing them of cash in Iwate Prefecture last year. ‘‘It was a premeditated crime,’’ Presiding Judge Naoto Sasaki said, handing down the ruling on Shoko Chiba as demanded by prosecutors.
Her defense lawyers admitted to her killing Hidenaga Suzuki, a 59-year-old priest of the Ennoji temple, and his 81-year-old mother Umeko in Ichinoseki on June 11, 2007, but denied her intent to commit robbery, claiming the charges of theft and murder should be applied in her case. According to the prosecutors, Chiba stabbed to death Suzuki with a kitchen knife. She also beat Umeko several times in the head with an ashtray and fatally stabbed her as well. She then stole 150,000 yen in cash.
★２００８年（平成２０年）１０月８日、盛岡地裁は２００７年６月、岩手県一関市東山町の遠応寺（えんのうじ）で鈴木秀良住職（５９歳）と母ウメ子（８１歳）を殺害し、現金を奪った強盗殺人罪に問われた同市東山町長坂、元飲食店店員、千葉正子（当時４６歳）に対し、求刑通り死刑を言い渡した。佐々木直人裁判長は「２人の生命を自己中心的で短絡的な動機で奪い、残虐で執拗（しつよう）な犯行。非人間性に戦りつを覚える。計画性は高い」と述べ、殺人、窃盗罪の適用を求めた弁護側の主張を退けた。弁護側は即日控訴した。判決によると、千葉被告は２００７年６月１１日午後８時半ごろ、遠応寺の居間で、持参した包丁で秀良を刺殺。事件を目撃したウメ子の頭を灰皿で数回殴り、包丁で背中などを刺して殺害後、現金約１５万円を奪った。公判では、殺害時の強盗目的の有無が主な争点になった。弁護側は「秀良さんの体格を見て殺害を断念した後、侮辱的な言葉をかけられ激高して衝動的に殺した」と主張したが、判決は「（仮に侮辱的な発言があったとしても）強盗を確実に遂行できるよう準備を進め、殺害後速やかに物色した」と計画性を認めた。
