ススキノ首切断殺人“異例の半年間”親子３人の鑑定留置終了、精神科医が明かす鑑定の現場　３月６日に検察が起訴の可否判断へ

February 28th, Sapporo Detention Branch in Sapporo's Higashi Ward. We waited for the family of three to make their first public appearance in six months. Reporter Takumi Ishiguro "It was 10:08 a.m. A car arrived carrying Tamura Osamu, who had just completed six months of detention for evaluation." Suspect Runa Tamura appeared in a police vehicle. Tamura Osamu is the father, a psychiatrist. Tamura Hiroko is the mother. The incident took place at a hotel in Susukino, Sapporo's entertainment district. Tamura Runa and two others killed a male office worker from Eniwa City with a knife in a hotel room sometime between the late night of July 1st of last year and the early hours of the 2nd. They then decapitated the victim and took the body home, and are suspected of murder, mutilation of a corpse, and other crimes. The investigation headquarters arrested suspects Luna and Osamu on July 24th, and Hiroko the following day, on suspicion of mutilating a corpse and other offenses. Furthermore, on August 14th, they were rearrested on suspicion of murder, and just when it seemed that the case might be finally unraveling, the case took a sudden turn. The Sapporo District Public Prosecutors Office, which is in charge of the investigation, requested an unusually long period of detention for evaluation, lasting six months. The reason given was that, due to the unique nature of the crime, which involves "decapitating and carrying around the head of a corpse," "it is necessary to carefully investigate how the psychological state at the time of the crime affected the crime." Nakamura Hiroshi, a lawyer and former prosecutor at the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, imagines the reason for the long evaluation period as follows: Hiroshi Nakamura, former Tokyo District Public Prosecutor "I believe the request for detention for evaluation is based on the premise that the same doctor is evaluating three people. It's reasonable and understandable that it would take longer than a typical evaluation for one person. I think that's what the prosecution argued." So, how does detention for evaluation generally work? Yuki Kako, Director of the Forensic Psychiatric Center at Hokkaido University Hospital "At Hokkaido University Hospital, as a general rule, patients are not admitted to the hospital, and we often visit the police station or detention center for examinations. It's not something special, and it's not much different from an examination at a hospital. In a hospital, it's a patient, but in an evaluation, it's a suspect or defendant. We interview them, listen to their story, and determine whether they have a mental illness. It takes about 10 times longer and is more thorough than an examination at a hospital." He says that the evaluation is no different from an examination at a hospital. He also reveals that the frequency is about once or twice a week, as it's conducted between daily work. Yuki Kako, Director of the Forensic Psychiatric Center at Hokkaido University Hospital "It's extremely difficult because it has to be done alongside a regular job. Psychiatrists often don't have the time to see patients every day, so they see them roughly once or twice a week." Based on the results of this evaluation, factors such as the planning and consistency of Tamura Runa's actions, including the fact that she "changed her clothes" when entering and leaving the hotel room where the crime occurred, "purchased a knife and saw" before the crime, and "went on gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints," as well as criminal responsibility will be assessed. Former Tokyo District Public Prosecutor, Attorney Hiroshi Nakamura "I think this is an extremely delicate case. That's why they set aside an unusually long six months for the evaluation and conducted it carefully. I think the outcome will really depend on the content of the evaluation's opinion, which is what kind of mental state Runa was in and how that affected her." Meanwhile, Director Yuki Kako, who is on the front lines of evaluation, added the following in conclusion: Yuki Kako, Director of the Hokkaido University Hospital Forensic Psychiatric Center "Even if someone has a mental disorder, it almost never affects their criminal responsibility. People misunderstand this, but when someone (with a mental disorder) is acquitted or dismissed, there's a backlash, with people saying, 'It's outrageous that they were found not guilty just because they had a mental disorder.' However, most people with mental disorders are tried normally and go to prison." March 6th marks a major milestone: the "detention limit," when prosecutors will decide whether to indict or not. Updated Wednesday, February 28, 2024, 6:50 PM #Hokkaido #News #HBC ◆Please subscribe to the HBC News channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCTp