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Defendant Takahiro Shiraishi in Tokyo (archive image)
Photo: STR / AFP
A man known as a "Twitter killer" confessed to nine murders in Japan.
In a Tokyo court, 29-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi said, according to local media reports, the allegations against him were "all correct".
According to the indictment, he murdered and dismembered eight women and one man and then stored the body parts in freezers.
On the morning of Halloween day 2017, while searching for a missing woman in Shiraishi's apartment, police discovered body parts and hundreds of pieces of bones.
They were stored in freezers and tool boxes, and some were covered with cat litter to mask the smell.
Shiraishi is said to have sexually abused the women and stole money from all victims.
He also owed one of the women around 360,000 yen, reported the news portal "Kyodo".
That corresponds to the equivalent of almost 2900 euros.
According to the investigations, the perpetrator is said to have contacted users with suicidal tendencies via Twitter and promised them that he could help them implement their plans or even die with them.
In this way, he is said to have lured nine victims between the ages of 15 and 26.
The defense therefore argues that the crimes are not murder, but killings on request.
A psychiatric report had been drawn up on the defendant for five months.
The prosecution came to the conclusion that he could be held criminally responsible and had brought charges in September 2018.
In response to the crimes, Twitter in Japan started to improve suicide prevention on the platform.
The trial of the "Twitter killer" caused a sensation in Japan.
According to the television broadcaster NHK, more than 600 curious people queued in front of the courthouse in Tokyo to get one of the only 13 spectator seats in the hall.
A verdict is expected in December.
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