Hasegawa Shizuo
Court upholds death penalty on man
for arranging brother's murder
Friday, August 17, 2007 at 05:00 EDT

TOKYO — The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a man to death for having an acquaintance kill his younger brother in 2005, while he was on parole after serving time for another murder. In handing down the ruling on Shizuo Hasegawa, 65, Judge Fumihiro Abe said, "It was greedy and contemptible to kill his brother to get his assets. The defendant also promised his accomplice a large reward so that he would not be suspected as the culprit."

Hasegawa asked his acquaintance Katsumi Suzuki, 34, to kill his younger brother Tsuneyasu, then 60, to get more of the assets left by their mother according to the ruling. Suzuki stabbed Tsuneyasu to death at his home in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture on May 8, 2005. He is now serving a 30-year prison term for murder. (Kyodo News)


Tochigi man sentenced to death for getting friend to kill brother
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 16:30 EST

UTSUNOMIYA — A 64-year-old man was sentenced to death on Tuesday for having an acquaintance kill his younger brother in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture in 2005 while he was on parole after serving time for another murder. According to the ruling, Shizuo Hasegawa offered to pay around 70 million yen to an acquaintance to kill his younger brother Tsuneyasu, then 60, with a view to obtaining his assets. The brother owned an apartment building.

The acquaintance, Katsumi Suzuki, stabbed the brother to death at his home on May 8, 2005. Shizuo had been arrested in 1978 for murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1980. He was released on parole in 2003. Suzuki, 33, has been given 30 years in prison at a high court for the murder, a ruling he has appealed. (Kyodo News)

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弟殺害：仮釈放中に遺産相続巡り…被告に死刑　宇都宮地裁
　殺人罪などで服役し、仮釈放中の０５年５月に実弟を殺害したとして殺人罪などに問われた埼玉県ふじみ野市上福岡５、無職、長谷川1被告（６４）に対し、宇都宮地裁は２３日、求刑通り死刑を言い渡した。池本寿美子裁判長は「犯罪性向は顕著で、矯正の可能性は皆無に等しい」と述べた。弁護側は控訴する方針。

　判決によると、長谷川被告は、弟の宇都宮市御幸町、アパート経営、統康（つねやす）さん（当時６０歳）と遺産相続を巡ってトラブルになった。長谷川被告は統康さん殺害を計画し、自分の長男が経営する飲食店従業員だったふじみ野市上福岡１、無職、鈴木克己被告（３３）＝２審で懲役３０年、上告中＝に２０００万円の報酬で殺害を頼んだ。鈴木被告は０５年５月８日夜、統康さんをナイフで刺し、失血死させた。

　長谷川被告は７６年１２月に勤務先の海苔（のり）卸会社の社長を殺害し、同地裁で８０年３月、無期懲役の判決を受けた。服役したが０３年５月に仮釈放されていた。【山下俊輔】

毎日新聞　2007年1月23日　20時30分

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