Japan - Miyazawa family of 4 murdered, Setagaya, Tokyo, 30 Dec 2000 #3

[Sor Juana]

I can't speak to coverage but here is a still from CCTV in late 2000 showing suspects of a COMPLETELY SEPERATE CASE murder in Ibaraki, at a convenience store before the crime. Poor quality but enough to make out clothing and features.

Wanted to caps that in case people think I'm posting suspects in this case.

This is actually the case I mentioned before. Police withheld the images for almost 18 years before the public knew they existed as the men were believed to be minors.

View attachment 519549

Currently, Japan has around 5m cctv cameras nationwide. In 2000, this number was much lower, less than 1m. In Tokyo, there would have been tens of thousands of cameras across the city. With that in mind, the average for Tokyo would be one camera per several hectares. Of course, this is misleading, as some areas have many cameras while others have none. But it provides an indication that, back then, the city wasn’t as well covered as it is now.

In 2023: "Tokyo, Japan – 37,266 cameras for 37,194,104 people = 1 camera per 1,000 people and 7.11 cameras per square mile." source: The 10 most populated cities in the world (and their camera figures)

 

[Sor Juana]

That depends on the car. Anything out of place in the neighborhood, yes. But not something typical for the area. I am also thinking that the car that “had the right to be there” could be totally missed. A garbage truck or any mail delivery would be missed (I know that Japanese mailmen use bikes, but if the amount is too huge, he could take a car.) Also, NY. Gifts, gifts from abroad since the neighbors recently left GB? Here, FEDEX or USPS, I don’t know what delivery system would be in Japan.

I am also thinking, the intercom and cable for Mikio’s computer. They needed to be installed. Interestingly, when did it happen?

That's true, indeed that a service vehicle or a person in a service uniform attracts less attention. As you mentioned in your earlier post, I fully support this line of thought. It hasn't been discussed before, but I think it's a very good point. Whether it's a garbage collector, mailman, or even a delivery courier (car or bike), real or fake, such roles generally draw less scrutiny from neighbours. Not a fire truck though.

Regarding intercom or computer cables, I believe the internet cable should have been relatively recent, likely from that year or the year before. However, imo, the killer does not seem to align with a technical role that requires skill, focus, and communication abilities. I know there have been serial killers with technical backgrounds, such as Richard Kuklinski or Dennis Rader. Here, I am not sure what it is. In my view, this killer did not possess any skills beyond very basic ones. JMO.

 

[Sor Juana]

Do you think it’s possible he actually is on CCTV out there somewhere, no matter the mode of transport, and that he’s just been… missed?

RSBM. In my opinion, it’s very likely that he appears on camera but was not identified due to poor visibility, whether from distance or lighting. There's little that can be done about it until he is arrested and his route is revealed. Only then could you attempt to locate him on the footage.

 

[Charlot123]

That's true, indeed that a service vehicle or a person in a service uniform attracts less attention. As you mentioned in your earlier post, I fully support this line of thought. It hasn't been discussed before, but I think it's a very good point. Whether it's a garbage collector, mailman, or even a delivery courier (car or bike), real or fake, such roles generally draw less scrutiny from neighbours. Not a fire truck though.

Regarding intercom or computer cables, I believe the internet cable should have been relatively recent, likely from that year or the year before. However, imo, the killer does not seem to align with a technical role that requires skill, focus, and communication abilities. I know there have been serial killers with technical backgrounds, such as Richard Kuklinski or Dennis Rader. Here, I am not sure what it is. In my view, this killer did not possess any skills beyond very basic ones. JMO.

I can’t guesstimate his intellectual capacity. I have a feeling that he may have some barriers (speech, hearing, or illness?) for which he overcompensates in another way, but we know too little. I can see why you assume he doesn’t have the skills, though.
On the other hand, the intercom - didn’t work. No calls from the house. I am still not sure what he did with the cable, tbh. I don’t know why there were no calls from the house given that the owners had mobile devices.
So, anything is possible. I tend to stick with “average” because this is how he probably avoided capture, by not standing out in any way. Lower than average, with bursts of aggression that are surprising to the murderer himself, is also a possible version.

 

[Charlot123]

RSBM. In my opinion, it’s very likely that he appears on camera but was not identified due to poor visibility, whether from distance or lighting. There's little that can be done about it until he is arrested and his route is revealed. Only then could you attempt to locate him on the footage.

Plus, even if he is on the footage, the quality from 2000 is low, and he is 23 years older now. Good luck to anyone trying to work with such information.

 

[Charlot123]

One more consideration. About the hand injuries and blood loss.

My biggest loss of blood was from a small wound on my big toe. I managed to cut an artery.

Arterial blood is pumped under high pressure. What naturally stops the blood is our own blood clot. But the pressure in the arterial system washes the clot off.

However, most cuts go through veins. So if the killer cut himself but the blood was venous, with low blood pressure in the venous system, it indeed would have been enough to use a sanitary product, press it tightly for a while, and the bleeding would stop. So I doubt that he was all that bloodied when he left the house. The scar is probably noticeable because the wound penetrated into the dermis, but unless the person is prone to extensive scarring, it might attract no attention. One wonders how he might know about the clotting, but one prior injury and someone knowledgeable helping him could be enough.

 

[FlowersInBloom]

One more consideration. About the hand injuries and blood loss.

My biggest loss of blood was from a small wound on my big toe. I managed to cut an artery.

Arterial blood is pumped under high pressure. What naturally stops the blood is our own blood clot. But the pressure in the arterial system washes the clot off.

However, most cuts go through veins. So if the killer cut himself but the blood was venous, with low blood pressure in the venous system, it indeed would have been enough to use a sanitary product, press it tightly for a while, and the bleeding would stop. So I doubt that he was all that bloodied when he left the house. The scar is probably noticeable because the wound penetrated into the dermis, but unless the person is prone to extensive scarring, it might attract no attention. One wonders how he might know about the clotting, but one prior injury and someone knowledgeable helping him could be enough.

From what I remember the killer’s blood was also found on the towel in the toilet room, which he wiped his hands on after defecating.
You would naturally think that if your hand/hands had been sliced open by a knife you would attempt to tend to the wound as soon as possible… which, in the timeline of events, would be right after Yasuko and Niina were killed.
I wonder if he was having trouble stemming the bleeding and the wounds were continuing to bleed for a while after, which is why his blood was found in various places…
But then I also wonder, wasn’t it said he was carrying around drawers and documents and throwing them around the place? If he did so, would that indicate his wounds weren’t that bad as he still had strength in his hands to carry things around the house?
From previous posts about this I remember that his gloves were slashed up quite badly and there was his blood all over them…
Does losing a lot of blood necessarily mean the wound is worse or just that he managed to nick an artery…?

 

[Sor Juana]

Regarding Buddhist temples, there were 3 temples in Setagaya back in 2000. The Sangenjaya temple was the closest, just 3-4km away. But it was a relatively small temple. The Kinrin-ji Temple would be the largest in terms of its grounds and facilities. Historically, Kinrin-ji has been known to accommodate monks so there were some residential quarters as part of the complex. Kinrin-ji temple is situated in the northern part of Setagaya, about 5-6km from the crime scene.
The map shows the extent of territory it covers, which is impressive.