Japanese serial killer pleads guilty to murdering nine victims he found on Twitter

Takahiro Shiraishi faces the death penalty if convicted of murder

The accused was arrested after dismembered bodies were found in his Tokyo apartment (AFP via Getty Images)

A Japanese man who became known as the “Twitter killer” has pleaded guilty to murdering and dismembering the bodies of nine victims who had shared suicidal thoughts on the social networking site.

Takahiro Shiraishi told a court in Tokyo on Wednesday that the allegations against him were “all correct”, according to the Japan Times. 

Despite this, his defence team argue that he is instead guilty of the lesser charge of homicide with consent, as they claim his victims – eight women and one man aged between 15 and 26 – gave consent as they had expressed suicidal thoughts online.

Mr Shiraishi appears to be at odd with his lawyers, telling a local newspaper on Wednesday, that he did not have his victims’ consent to kill them. 

"There were bruises on the back of the victims' heads. It means there was no consent and I did it so that they wouldn't resist," a report in Mainichi Shimbun said.

If Mr Shiraishi is convicted of murder, he faces death by hanging. 

The prosecution says the 29-year-old created a Twitter account in March 2017 "to contact women contemplating suicide, whom he saw as easy targets", broadcaster NHK reported.

Eight of the nine people he killed between August and October 2017 were female, and the youngest was just 15 years old. The only male victim was killed after he challenged the accused about his missing girlfriend.

Mr Shiraishi strangled and dismembered his victims, the indictment said. The killings were revealed after police officers searched his Tokyo apartment for a missing woman and found dismembered bodies stored in cooling containers.

He is also accused of sexually assaulting all his female victims, and stealing cash from them, the Japan Times reported. 

The accused is believed to have lured his victims to his apartment by telling them he would help them die. His Twitter profile, which used an account name that roughly translates to ‘Hangman’, contained the words: "I want to help people who are really in pain. Please DM [direct message] me anytime."

A ruling is expected to be handed down on 15 December.

Shortly after his arrest, Twitter changed its rules to specify users should not "promote or encourage suicide or self-harm".

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.