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

[BatataPoha]

Here is another (much worse quality, apologies) photo of the morning of discovery from the opposite angle that I posted before. You can see on the front door the traditional new year decoration we hang up in Japan is still there, and the telephone pole to the right displays the advertisement for Yasuko’s school again:
View attachment 520763
What I noticed in this photo and have circled is that the wooden structure on the property grounds that is used for growing flowers (pergola? trellis?) has been graffitied. It looks like it reads “zero” and is likely a tag. It was said that Mikio did have some run-ins with the skaters from the skate park across the road, but this graffiti to me shows disrespect towards the Miyazawas as it’s been done on and to their property. I should say, I don’t really know if the family did own the strip of land beside their house or not but either way it was done very close to their front door.

It could just be nothing really, but it made my stomach sink a little because it seems the family may have had trouble with some people in the area for this to happen. Or it’s just teenagers being teenagers and there are more instances of this in the area, but I haven’t seen that yet.
JMO here.

An English graffiti from someone and the hip bag contained traces of paint.

 

[Incoherent]

An English graffiti from someone and the hip bag contained traces of paint.

I’m not certain what it says or if it’s in English but it definitely isn’t Japanese. Graffiti tags are often unique to the person or group, and can be pictures or patterns or some kind of word I thought but I don’t know much about them.

Just on that, I did read an article a while back about someone graffitiing the wall that had been put around the back of the house to shield it and also tagged some play equipment in the kids park with the same thing. But if I remember right it turned out to be nothing. I’ll see if I can find the article again if there’s interest.

 

[TokyoSleuth]

An English graffiti from someone and the hip bag contained traces of paint.

I wouldn't read too much into the graffiti being in English. A good amount of graffiti you see here is random words in English. There used to be a wall near us where someone had just written "SEX".

While conversation ability in English is pretty low in Japan, reading and writing along with vocab knowledge is pretty standard.

 

[AppleTreeGreen]

One other thing that caught my attention is who wears white to commit this type of crime? White is the easiest stained color. Things like blood, dirt, food and other incriminating materials would be very noticeable against it and could draw attention in public, which is something perp supposedly doesn’t want to do. And yet the perp still left himself vulnerable to the possibility that he would need a change a clothes? Even the bag is too light in color. Wouldn’t it have been better and more advantageous for him to blend in both inside and outside the house in the dark by choosing a wardrobe entirely black or dark in color? Seems like an amateur move on his part IMO.

Also, I agree that with a comment above that he likely chose to strangle Rei because stabbing him may have caused him to cry out in pain leading to the killer losing his element of surprise. MOO he probably underestimated how long and how much force it actually would take to strangle someone, even a child, considering that Rei was able to cry out loud enough to alert his father. The strength that the perp had to use on Rei may have also helped Mikio put up a good defense against him and their fight may have cost the assailant even more strength, time and adrenaline of his own. He is also wounded now too. When he attacks Yasuko and Niina his attack seems even more vicious and frenzied, especially with the numerous wounds against their head, face and chest. But why? Not to be grotesque but he could have just targeted certain areas of the chest and abdomen only once or twice to cause fatal damage to his victim’s organs and blood vessels. Why use more of his strength, time and adrenaline when part of his goal also includes not only looking for something but now also treating his bleeding wounds? Was he letting his rage out or was he starting to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, ashamed or panicked at the realization that his fantasy did not in fact match reality as he carried it out and he was at risk of getting caught if he didn’t finish the horror/atrocities he has started.

Also, what happened to his hands or how were they affected after committing the murders? Did he develop any nerve damage or loss of function of his fingers or coordinating them altogether overall? Did any possible classmates, girlfriends, friends, partners, colleagues, teammates or family ask about the scars? Was he still able to type? Could he write with a pen the same way as before? Could he still use the same equipment at work, carry school books with the use hands and arms at school or pass money from his person to another? How was he with sports and dressing himself without help? Did a doctor or parent ask questions about why happened? How did he keep his wounds from getting infected or causing too much blood loss? I do feel, IMO, someone likely noticed something different about the perp, even if they did only subconsciously, because of a physical change or symptom caused by his injuries that would have stood out out and likely led to questions or concern from them.


JMO/speculation

 

[BatataPoha]

It also makes me wonder why leave the clothes at all? Why not steal a bag or two or three to double or triple bag the clothes to hide how bloody they were before throwing them away on a nearby dumpster?

Coz he would either have to waste valuable time disposing that bag far off from his final location or give the police clues about his possible final location.

Take public transportation or did he arrange ahead of time to get picked up by someone and that’s why he had to do his very best to appear presentable, even if it meant stealing his victims’ clothes?

Public transportation seems unlikely, especially if he left with his sanitary pad contraption.

Getting picked by someone else is a possibility, but that guy would have to either be in on the crime or be willing to actively cover for this guy, both possible.

Also, the perp not only brazenly leaving his clothes but also blood, fingerprints and fecal matter, all of which he could have cleaned up before he leaving, at the scene, seems to imply to me a certainty or confidence that LE in Japan would not have access to his personal or private information that would connect them to his identity.

This is right. The fact that he leaves so much stuff behind in pristine condition not only for analytical studies but also allowing for comparison would indicate that this guy had certain strong ideas that the LE won’t be able to get him.

 

[BatataPoha]

View attachment 520794
One other thing that caught my attention is who wears white to commit this type of crime? White is the easiest stained color. Things like blood, dirt, food and other incriminating materials would be very noticeable against it and could draw attention in public, which is something perp supposedly doesn’t want to do. And yet the perp still left himself vulnerable to the possibility that he would need a change a clothes? Even the bag is too light in color. Wouldn’t it have been better and more advantageous for him to blend in both inside and outside the house in the dark by choosing a wardrobe entirely black or dark in color? Seems like an amateur move on his part IMO.

Also, I agree that with a comment above that he likely chose to strangle Rei because stabbing him may have caused him to cry out in pain leading to the killer losing his element of surprise. MOO he probably underestimated how long and how much force it actually would take to strangle someone, even a child, considering that Rei was able to cry out loud enough to alert his father. The strength that the perp had to use on Rei may have also helped Mikio put up a good defense against him and their fight may have cost the assailant even more strength, time and adrenaline of his own. He is also wounded now too. When he attacks Yasuko and Niina his attack seems even more vicious and frenzied, especially with the numerous wounds against their head, face and chest. But why? Not to be grotesque but he could have just targeted certain areas of the chest and abdomen only once or twice to cause fatal damage to his victim’s organs and blood vessels. Why use more of his strength, time and adrenaline when part of his goal also includes not only looking for something but now also treating his bleeding wounds? Was he letting his rage out or was he starting to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, ashamed or panicked at the realization that his fantasy did not in fact match reality as he carried it out and he was at risk of getting caught if he didn’t finish the horror/atrocities he has started.

JMO/speculation

I think there are multiple indications that the killer is an amateur, didn’t envisage there being a lot of blood and therefore had no second clothing or anything as backup on him.

Your good points only strengthen that notion.

 

[Charlot123]

It also makes me wonder why leave the clothes at all? Why not steal a bag or two or three to double or triple bag the clothes to hide how bloody they were before throwing them away on a nearby dumpster? What was wrong with that option? Was he pressed for time? In a rush or panic?

Why not bring them home unless he knew he didn’t live alone and there was too big a risk either a roommate, partner or parent would see or smell them? How did he get home? Did he have his own car? Take public transportation or did he arrange ahead of time to get picked up by someone and that’s why he had to do his very best to appear presentable, even if it meant stealing his victims’ clothes?

The perp creating a folder makes me question whether there were specific documents he wanted to easily find, organize and print? IIRC, the killer stole the Moyazawas’ money. Did Mikio have any credit cards or bank accounts that could be used just as easily in the US and UK? Perhaps, if he was going abroad he was trying to access their account and PIN numbers to take with him?

Also, to be fair and IIRC, An Irie and her husband had just returned back from the UK? Perhaps the jet lag caused them to be tired enough that they fell into a deep sleep and were able to tune out most sounds besides the thud? Also, interestingly enough a thud is also one of the few sounds recorded by a neighbor’s security camera on the night that 4 college students were brutally murdered inside their home in Idaho. Their house was also soundproofed and the timing of the recording and the thud also is suspected to match the time the horrific attacks were carried out. Similar to the Setagaya case though the sounds of notable and repeated screaming or alarm are generally absent despite court documents indicating at least 2 of the victims were conscious and fought back when the perp carried out his attack. Just food for thought I have been pondering on.

Also, the perp not only brazenly leaving his clothes but also blood, fingerprints and fecal matter, all of which he could have cleaned up before he leaving, at the scene, seems to imply to me a certainty or confidence that LE in Japan would not have access to his personal or private information that would connect them to his identity. Exactly how could he have such privilege or protection? Perhaps through his own position or that of his family’s that includes diplomatic or military immunity like Nic mentioned before? Has the perp abused these privilege before in another country qmd that was he felt confident it would again even after he committed the vicious murders of a family of four? Or was he at the age where he was mature enough to try to test and use them for the first time and for his own selfish and unlawful advantage?


All MOO for the most part

Interesting questions. What surprises me, the fanny pack could’ve been his (no other DNA) - but if he lived in a family, there ought to have been touch DNA on other clothes? Of other family members, right? Or so I think.

As to other behavior - in Idaho murders, the accused, if it was him, had planned and prepared the invasion. He is a high-functioning person, probably, smart. Yet honestly, looking at him, knowing what we know about his life, can you call him normal? Nothing in his murders indicates normalcy, although he is camouflaging well during the hearings.

I am thinking, it the Setagaya invader is of the same type but not as smart (plus, unaware of future DNA potential), we see what we see. He probably came with a certain plan and was collected enough to follow it through although I don’t know if the plan was to murder. But afterwards, we see disorganized behavior. Maybe when he came home and slept, he got more or less OK again, good enough to fly under the radar.

ETA: in Moscow murders, I would bet that BK, alone and left to dysfunctional coping mechanisms, likely relapsed on favorite substances. It could have contributed to thinking and behavior. The Setagaya murderer had no evidence of substances in his system. Then, we can discuss a certain “natural” seasonality not triggered by drugs. Here is the data: the highest amount of suicides falls on early spring (late winter depression + rise in energy caused by the sun), The peak of homicides falls on summer (irritability, probably the sun is the culprit, too). But there is a short time of the year, starting around Christmas and extending into the new year, when everything peaks, suicides and homicides. I don’t know why it happens; the trivial explanation would be “looking back at the year and realizing that not much has happened, just one more year.” I don’t know if it is so. But something to consider; season-wise, his behavior was “in sync with what the world does, too”, I assume that he was impulsive, homicidal and suicidal when he broke in. Maybe he was deciding on what do do next in the house with four bodies. Maybe he didn’t quite care if he lives or dies. I can’t discount it.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

One other thing that caught my attention is who wears white to commit this type of crime? White is the easiest stained color. Things like blood, dirt, food and other incriminating materials would be very noticeable against it and could draw attention in public, which is something perp supposedly doesn’t want to do. And yet the perp still left himself vulnerable to the possibility that he would need a change a clothes? Even the bag is too light in color. Wouldn’t it have been better and more advantageous for him to blend in both inside and outside the house in the dark by choosing a wardrobe entirely black or dark in color? Seems like an amateur move on his part IMO.

RSBM: In terms of killing, we can assume he is very much an amateur. In terms of his record in Japan, that's a given. He had never offended (or been caught offending in a way that left fingerprints / DNA). This is just guesswork by me but: we can debate the killer's IQ all day long. For anyone thinking he was a dummy, which is wholly reasonable, surely he's not going to be stupid enough to realise that a white shirt is a bad idea when stabbing several people to death. This supposes two things. 1) That he went there to stab. 2) That he went there to stab, knowing he would be taking off his jacket -- which was dark in colour.

My own view is that the murderer was veering towards the intelligent side, even if clearly not a seasoned killer. He was a determined one though, as evidenced through cutting himself quite badly while attacking Mikio but carrying on. As you can see in FACELESS, the experts in burglary find that astonishing. A man there to rob them is not going to start by killing a sleeping child and is almost going to certainly flee upon discovery. Let alone go upstairs to finish off two people who likely hadn't seen his face by using his weak hand after slicing his right hand open.

Why does his intelligence matter? Well, for me, it's more his decision-making. I think it's entirely possible he didn't plan on getting that white shirt dirty. But once he realised he'd bled everywhere and that the hallway was particularly narrow / he was likely sweating and flooded with adrenaline or anger, he figured in for a penny, in for a pound. I would guess he also didn't plan to spend so long in the house. Perhaps, he thought he could simply dispose of his bloodied jacket afterwards. Now, it's possible he had clothes outside somewhere. But then why steal Mikio's afterwards? A sweater wouldn't be enough for warmth / not stand out. (That, in a minor way, again points to a car to me). I think he did enter that house with a plan, but the plan went south. He still kept his calm, and pivoted accordingly. FWIW, that doesn't smack of a madman to me, or a bumbling idiot who simply got lucky. While he is likely to be mentally unsound at the very least, and while he definitely got lucky, I do think he was smart enough to update his plan during the murders / and after them. JMO.

When he attacks Yasuko and Niina his attack seems even more vicious and frenzied, especially with the numerous wounds against their head, face and chest. But why? Not to be grotesque but he could have just targeted certain areas of the chest and abdomen only once or twice to cause fatal damage to his victim’s organs and blood vessels.

I've speculated on this 'disparity' in violence between the Yasuko + Niina / Mikio + Rei many times. In short, I'm not sure I buy there being such a difference when Mikio had his fingertips sliced off, and a very sharp knife plunged into his brain and heart several times. But I do think it possibly illuminates the fact that he had some idea of who might be in the house. How does he know they didn't have 8 kids? Or Uncle Takehiro wasn't staying? To me, he let's himself go with Niina and Yasuko, yes. But that's either because of *them* / because the plan hasn't gone to plan / he's hurt and he's scared and he's enraged that he feels he might be caught. Just spit-balling here.

If the question is: why did he engage in such brutal overkill, then that's the $64k question, basically. Why them? My guess is that he had underlying rage for reason X. And he picked the Miyazawa family for reason Y.

Why use more of his strength, time and adrenaline when part of his goal also includes not only looking for something but now also treating his bleeding wounds?

As above but we don't *know* that he was looking for anything. He could have been staging the scene. He could have been disrespecting their household. He could have been simply curious.

Was he letting his rage out or was he starting to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, ashamed or panicked at the realization that his fantasy did not in fact match reality as he carried it out and he was at risk of getting caught if he didn’t finish the horror/atrocities he has started.

My feeling is that you're on the money here.

Also, what happened to his hands or how were they affected after committing the murders? Did he develop any nerve damage or loss of function of his fingers or coordinating them altogether overall? Did any possible classmates, girlfriends, friends, partners, colleagues, teammates or family ask about the scars? Was he still able to type? Could he write with a pen the same way as before? Could he still use the same equipment at work, carry school books with the use hands and arms at school or pass money from his person to another? How was he with sports and dressing himself without help?

An injury to his wrist / little finger on the right hand (left hand injuries are unclear) would likely allow him to live out his life with such movements unaffected. I'm not a doctor but I would imagine the knife would've had to go pretty deep to lead to impaired movements for life? Scars on the killer, however, according to the TMPD forensic folks, are "almost certain." I think there's no way he lives out the next weeks without anyone noticing his injuries. Unless he's a mountain hermit, of course. But who's doing that at 15? Who's also capable of visiting an American military base on the other side of the world and living off the grid, beyond the grasp of the TMPD since childhood? Maybe he IS Jason Bourne. Or, more likely, he had people around him who knew what he'd done and chose to ignore it. Or believed some story he concocted.

Did a doctor or parent ask questions about why happened? How did he keep his wounds from getting infected or causing too much blood loss?

Without getting into too much detail, my theory includes access to medical attention in a way that would be untraceable to the TMPD.

I do feel, IMO, someone likely noticed something different about the perp, even if they did only subconsciously, because of a physical change or symptom caused by his injuries that would have stood out out and likely led to questions or concern from them.


JMO/speculation

I agree. So the next question is: did they know about the murders and say nothing? Or did they simply not know about the murders and buy whatever BS story the killer offered up? OR, did he outright tell them what he did and they, for whatever reason, chose their love for him over possibly handing him over to the hangman? Love or complicity or fear? En fin, choose your own version.

 

[BatataPoha]

Perhaps, he thought he could simply dispose of his bloodied jacket afterwards.

I disagree with this thought, and I will explain my thought process below.

Lets assume the killer executed the kills perfecly. He likely still has a bloody knife and maybe a bloodied jacket to dispose off in the ideal world.
Now from what actually happens, he is rather reluctant to take bloodied stuff, either being afraid of getting noticed on the way, or in his final destination or possibly both.

He couldn’t have hid the bloodied knife on the way, coz that would have also soiled his hip bag, and he clearly didn’t want to take a bloodied hip bag as again evidenced by what happened. He couldn’t have held a bloodied knife in his hand to dispose it off.

So my guess is - The killer always intended to drop off the knife and possibly his bloodied jacket at the scene of the crime.

I have no proof of this, except for the fact that the jacket is an extremely new Uniqlo jacket and the knife is also a rather commonplace one. Even though the rest of the clothing is also possibly new, the hip bag for example atleast is well worn. These two items might have been very recently bought with the intention to drop them off at the scene of the crime.

This can also explain, why went things went south, he simply expanded his original plan, which makes it far more likely than someone coming up with it entirely on the fly.

JMO.

Agree with your psychological profile though. Extremely determined, cruel, cunning, definitely reckless when in rage, with no regard for safety of oneself or others. Possibly enjoys rule breaking.

But I do think it possibly illuminates the fact that he had some idea of who might be in the house. How does he know they didn't have 8 kids? Or Uncle Takehiro wasn't staying?

He also knows that the two houses are not connected from the inside. That there are only 4 members. That what he is looking for is definitely not in Mikio’s garage.

It is fairly likely the killer knew a fair bit about the family.

 

[BatataPoha]

Also, what happened to his hands or how were they affected after committing the murders? Did he develop any nerve damage or loss of function of his fingers or coordinating them altogether overall?

Unlikely. I can explain in detail if you want.

Did any possible classmates, girlfriends, friends, partners, colleagues, teammates or family ask about the scars? Was he still able to type? Could he write with a pen the same way as before? Could he still use the same equipment at work, carry school books with the use hands and arms at school or pass money from his person to another? How was he with sports and dressing himself without help? Did a doctor or parent ask questions about why happened? How did he keep his wounds from getting infected or causing too much blood loss? I do feel, IMO, someone likely noticed something different about the perp, even if they did only subconsciously, because of a physical change or symptom caused by his injuries that would have stood out out and likely led to questions or concern from them.

So more than his scars, I actually wonder more about his hip bag and shoes. His hip bag was well worn. His shoes might have also been well worn.

So what kinda loner is he that no one around him notices this kinda stuff, or does he live in a community where Japanese news is not given much importance.

As far as your injury questions are questioned, most of them are unlikely in my view. His scars just look like average scars, and he might have made up some biking accident to cover for it.

 

[SteveL]

Here is another (much worse quality, apologies) photo of the morning of discovery from the opposite angle that I posted before. You can see on the front door the traditional new year decoration we hang up in Japan is still there, and the telephone pole to the right displays the advertisement for Yasuko’s school again:
View attachment 520763
What I noticed in this photo and have circled is that the wooden structure on the property grounds that is used for growing flowers (pergola? trellis?) has been graffitied. It looks like it reads “zero” and is likely a tag. It was said that Mikio did have some run-ins with the skaters from the skate park across the road, but this graffiti to me shows disrespect towards the Miyazawas as it’s been done on and to their property. I should say, I don’t really know if the family did own the strip of land beside their house or not but either way it was done very close to their front door.

It could just be nothing really, but it made my stomach sink a little because it seems the family may have had trouble with some people in the area for this to happen. Or it’s just teenagers being teenagers and there are more instances of this in the area, but I haven’t seen that yet.
JMO here.

Seeing this graffiti, combined with Incoherents insight into the disrespect it shows the Miyazawas brings me back to a skater theory I have. I was a "skater" in my youth, and a few clues stand out.

I don't think the killer was a skater, per se. Based on his clothes, it seems like he 'tried' to play the part, but didn't fit in. I wonder if he observed the Miyazawas run ins with the skaters and wanted to commit the crimes to "avenge" and mentally fit in with the skaters. I know TMPD exhaustively interviewed the skaters and heavily investigated the theory. My point is that he was NOT one of the skaters, but an outsider, who desperately wanted to belong to the group.

I had this theory prior to reviewing the Yokoto yearbooks. When I saw the Yokoto school base skate park, it further reinforced my theory. School skate parks are LAME. Skaters will use them as a last option, but public skate parks are where they go for more challenges, and social interactions. And, some of the skaters pictured in the Yokoto yearbooks wear attire SIMILAR to what the killer wore. I'm not suggesting those pictured are the killer. In fact, the opposite. I think the killer was seeing those pictured as models for attire, behavior, etc. The act of graffiti may or may not have been done by the killer. But, I believe the act of doing it escalated things. Or served as motivation for further acts.

If I were to ask the Chief a question, it would be regarding the shoe prints. When you skateboard, one foot is the base, planted on the board. Your other leg/foot is used to propel you. The shoe on the foot you use to propel gets worn down way worse, and much quicker than your base leg. I would ask if he noticed if one foot of the shoe prints showed more wear. If in fact this was observed, but not reported, it would explain their focus on the skaters.

Here in the USA, I never noticed popularity with Slazenger shoes. However, after looking at the photos of them on the TMPD, I would definitely see them as shoes a skater would consider. Particularly, the in sole. In fact, if TMPD noticed wear on the in sole of the shoe, this would further propagate the skater theory.

But, I don't consider the killer a "skater." We had a derogatory term for wannabes, "poseur." It was directed at those who were trying to act the part, but weren't the real deal. I feel this fits the killer's profile.

 

[SteveL]

I’m not certain what it says or if it’s in English but it definitely isn’t Japanese. Graffiti tags are often unique to the person or group, and can be pictures or patterns or some kind of word I thought but I don’t know much about them.

Just on that, I did read an article a while back about someone graffitiing the wall that had been put around the back of the house to shield it and also tagged some play equipment in the kids park with the same thing. But if I remember right it turned out to be nothing. I’ll see if I can find the article again if there’s interest.

Thank you very much for bringing so much evidence and insight into the thread, Incoherent!

Telling it was written in English. In the USA graffiti tags are typically the taggers nickname or street name. Appears to say "Zero." In English, zero is slang for "loser." It may also refer to the WWII Japanese fighter plane "Zero"? This could correlate between the killer being from an Air Force base, or Mikio's interest in planes?

 

[AppleTreeGreen]

@FacelessPodcast I see now, thank you. I think I assumed that the reason the killer ate the ice cream right from the cups and didn’t flush is because he didn’t flush. I assumed that perhaps then the knife pierced the killer’s hands to cause that much pain or damage when it fact it could have still just been a cut or slice at the palm and fingers it at the superficial level.

I am re-listening to your podcast again to refresh my memory on a number of details but I was wondering if one way Japan’s LE could get around sharing the DNA dilemma is by using the killer’s gloves, fingerprints, palm prints and projected growth rate to make a sort of cast of his hand that could be used to both display abroad and locally what his hand would possibly look like today, including with the scars, and to retest his finger prints, palm prints again with the scars and weight and length added to it?

Would it also be possible to use similar items collected at the crime scene make a cast of what his hands looked like following the murders?

Perhaps the cast as a figure would jog someone’s memory or help in the further in the future the NPA, FBI and Interpol identify them? Perhaps even if the Airforce doesn’t test them, students, like those from 1998-2000 time period, or those who familiar with Yokota and Edwards Airbases and Tokyo would be interested in looking at one or both figurines, just in case? I became vaguely aware that the FBI, under the specific legal and ethical guidelines, are using fingerprints and palm print to create hand casts of those with a criminal history and are deceased to identify if they are responsible for a particular violent crime that fits their known pattern and for national security and criminal justice purposes. It was just a thought though so it may not really matter or be relevant to this discussion

The killer without a face - ABC News

amp.abc.net.au

https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/freedom-of-information-privacy-act/department-of-justice-fbi-privacy-impact-assessments/next-generation-identification-palm-print-and-latent-fingerprint-files

Japan, U.S. agree to share criminal fingerprint data

Japan and the United States agreed Friday to conclude a pact that will let them instantly access each other's fingerprint databases to identify people suspected of terrorism and other serious crimes, Japanese officials said.

www.japantimes.co.jp

 

[lilykaluva]

One other thing that caught my attention is who wears white to commit this type of crime?

Well, for me, it's more his decision-making.

It's details like the white shirt that scream "teenager" to me. Someone whose frontal lobes are less likely to give them the impulse control, empathy, and executive planning skills we all have. Who is able to plan to an extent but also prone to screwing up in extremely dumb ways. I remember working with teens once who planned a crime once down to where to hide weapons, timed it avoid campus security, etc... they forgot the security cameras videotaping everyone who walked into the room where they did the thing.

Killers, even ones who have more or less gotten away with it for a significant amount of time, aren't any less prone to moments of human dumbness and mistakes, too--and the ironic thing is, that a lot of booksmart, intelligent people are really, really prone to moments of pure "how did you not think about the most obvious thing" because they can become fixated on one particular aspect, or plan a certain part to perfection that they miss the other obvious flaws in design... which can also just be people not behaving how they expect, or a knife breaking.

 

[Charlot123]

@FacelessPodcast I see now, thank you. I think I assumed that the reason the killer ate the ice cream right from the cups and didn’t flush is because he didn’t flush. I assumed that perhaps then the knife pierced the killer’s hands to cause that much pain or damage when it fact it could have still just been a cut or slice at the palm and fingers it at the superficial level.

I am re-listening to your podcast again to refresh my memory on a number of details but I was wondering if one way Japan’s LE could get around sharing the DNA dilemma is by using the killer’s gloves, fingerprints, palm prints and projected growth rate to make a sort of cast of his hand that could be used to both display abroad and locally what his hand would possibly look like today, including with the scars, and to retest his finger prints, palm prints again with the scars and weight and length added to it?

Would it also be possible to use similar items collected at the crime scene make a cast of what his hands looked like following the murders?

Perhaps the cast as a figure would jog someone’s memory or help in the further in the future the NPA, FBI and Interpol identify them? Perhaps even if the Airforce doesn’t test them, students, like those from 1998-2000 time period, or those who familiar with Yokota and Edwards Airbases and Tokyo would be interested in looking at one or both figurines, just in case? I became vaguely aware that the FBI, under the specific legal and ethical guidelines, are using fingerprints and palm print to create hand casts of those with a criminal history and are deceased to identify if they are responsible for a particular violent crime that fits their known pattern and for national security and criminal justice purposes. It was just a thought though so it may not really matter or be relevant to this discussion

The killer without a face - ABC News

amp.abc.net.au

https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/freedom-of-information-privacy-act/department-of-justice-fbi-privacy-impact-assessments/next-generation-identification-palm-print-and-latent-fingerprint-files

Japan, U.S. agree to share criminal fingerprint data

Japan and the United States agreed Friday to conclude a pact that will let them instantly access each other's fingerprint databases to identify people suspected of terrorism and other serious crimes, Japanese officials said.

www.japantimes.co.jp

My question is about the feces. Do people know if he ate ice cream first then defecated, or vice versa? If he ate ice cream first, then, as many adults do, he could have suddenly realize the unpleasant fact: that he is lactose-intolerant.

This condition is often not inborn but develops with age. This would make sense as babies depend on maternal milk. But people could well develop it by late teenage years. This is how it would manifest: after a meal rich in milk-based products, the person has a BM. Another reason for it to happen: high stomach acidity rapidly neutralized by a mildly alkaline food. Anyhow, the way I imagine, he killed, then, high on adrenaline, devoured several ice creams, felt incessant urge to empty his bowel because of all ice cream and maybe at that time, wounds started bleeding again or pain suddenly became unbearable...so he looked into the house drug cabinet for something to ease the pain, found sanitary pads. Got distracted. Forgot to flush because of that.

Also, given that he was looking for something somewhat haphazardly but emptied out Yasuko's purses, it possible that he was looking for some meds to ease the pain. People usually keep them in bathrooms or kitchens, but in fact, the concept of "at hand" may be random. That could explain certain randomness of the search, IMHO.

 

[Charlot123]

Here is another (much worse quality, apologies) photo of the morning of discovery from the opposite angle that I posted before. You can see on the front door the traditional new year decoration we hang up in Japan is still there, and the telephone pole to the right displays the advertisement for Yasuko’s school again:
View attachment 520763
What I noticed in this photo and have circled is that the wooden structure on the property grounds that is used for growing flowers (pergola? trellis?) has been graffitied. It looks like it reads “zero” and is likely a tag. It was said that Mikio did have some run-ins with the skaters from the skate park across the road, but this graffiti to me shows disrespect towards the Miyazawas as it’s been done on and to their property. I should say, I don’t really know if the family did own the strip of land beside their house or not but either way it was done very close to their front door.

It could just be nothing really, but it made my stomach sink a little because it seems the family may have had trouble with some people in the area for this to happen. Or it’s just teenagers being teenagers and there are more instances of this in the area, but I haven’t seen that yet.
JMO here.

Not sure it reads ZERO.
The first letter is either Z or N, depending on how you look at it. It is easier to write vertically then the first letter is Z but the next two are not E or R.

If you flip it the closest is NARO, which ironically stands for "Naval Air Reconnaissance Operation." I don't support this theory, but this is words stand for.

 

[Charlot123]

Here is another (much worse quality, apologies) photo of the morning of discovery from the opposite angle that I posted before. You can see on the front door the traditional new year decoration we hang up in Japan is still there, and the telephone pole to the right displays the advertisement for Yasuko’s school again:
View attachment 520763
What I noticed in this photo and have circled is that the wooden structure on the property grounds that is used for growing flowers (pergola? trellis?) has been graffitied. It looks like it reads “zero” and is likely a tag. It was said that Mikio did have some run-ins with the skaters from the skate park across the road, but this graffiti to me shows disrespect towards the Miyazawas as it’s been done on and to their property. I should say, I don’t really know if the family did own the strip of land beside their house or not but either way it was done very close to their front door.

It could just be nothing really, but it made my stomach sink a little because it seems the family may have had trouble with some people in the area for this to happen. Or it’s just teenagers being teenagers and there are more instances of this in the area, but I haven’t seen that yet.
JMO here.

I have a question: is the graffiti on the Miyazawas' or the Iries' side of the house? TBH, it takes me a while each time to answer this question. I think the Irie s' side has a tiny "plot" of land with flowers on the side btw.
But if the graffiti is on the Miyazawas' side, maybe it was a "marker", whose side to attack? I wonder if the color was fluorescent. Do you remember the traces of dye in the fanny pack? According to TMPD, it was something similar to nighttime reflective clothing, or road signs, if I am not mistaken.

The invader didn't leave a flashlight or a blacklight. Either he sees well at night, or he took it with him back.

BTW, I wonder if he brought in some source of light. Maybe used it to beat the victims? I sometimes doubt that he used hands. Some flashlights are heavy. Surely TMPD knows what the wounds on women were inflicted with.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I have a question: is the graffiti on the Miyazawas' or the Iries' side of the house? TBH, it takes me a while each time to answer this question. I think the Irie s' side has a tiny "plot" of land with flowers on the side btw.

RSBM: It's on the Miyazawa side. But, to be clear, it's not on their property. It's across the path. In terms of the graffiti itself, I don't really have an opinion. But FWIW, it looks more like "ZEO" to me. I would guess that the previous post suggesting its a tag would make most sense. These concrete posts are on the 'right' side of the path bisecting Soshigaya Park, on which traffic flows, joggers, families, students, etc. The Miyazawa house is the grey just above the 23. Note, there is a narrow path that runs along the canal bearing immediately east of the house. The space between the house and the water is only a few metres. And to be clear for anyone still somehow maintaining this, this park IS NOT ISOLATED OR REMOTE. IT IS FULL OF LIFE. Yes, the four houses remaining were uncommonly far from their neighbours. But we're talking a matter of metres. That's not to say it's going to be packed at 3 or 4am, of course not. But the killer, leaving that house by foot, would have been extremely lucky to make a short distance without seeing anyone unless he lives a few streets away.

Now, to be more clear on the actual geography of the scene. You can see the distance between the posts (where skaters would hang out, concentrating just north of this area where there was/is half-pipe / ramps etc. (Image from 2009).


This second image is looking immediately to the left of the one above (note the poster by the cones). So, you can see that yes, the skaters are close. But also, they are not right outside the house.

But if the graffiti is on the Miyazawas' side, maybe it was a "marker", whose side to attack?

Is that graffiti is some kind of threat or death marker? That's possible, I guess. But I don't see a huge amount backing it up. If it's connected to the murders at all, then I would hazard a guess that it's only in the sense that some angsty teen went to the park at night to spray it. Could it be the murderer? I can't rule it out. It's just not hugely probable to me.

I wonder if the color was fluorescent. Do you remember the traces of dye in the fanny pack? According to TMPD, it was something similar to nighttime reflective clothing, or road signs, if I am not mistaken.

They said it's commonly found in marker pens / various households items. I don't know if it's connected to reflective clothing. I've had people involved in the chemical field assure me that the 'dye' has zero significance, or, if it does, it's such a common one, that it's mere presence in the killer's bag won't tell me anything.

The invader didn't leave a flashlight or a blacklight. Either he sees well at night, or he took it with him back.

BTW, I wonder if he brought in some source of light. Maybe used it to beat the victims? I sometimes doubt that he used hands. Some flashlights are heavy. Surely TMPD knows what the wounds on women were inflicted with.

The park is well-lit. I can't say for sure what lighting was like in 2000 but from memory, photos just post the murders show streetlamps everywhere. I can assure you, the killer wouldn't have needed a flashlight at any point. As for the injuries themselves, from the discussions (with the person who was actually invited to do their post-mortem), he spoke only of stabbing and manual beating in the case of Yasuko and Niina. Rei, obviously manual strangulation. Stabbing in Mikio's case (though possible he did hit him while Mikio was defending himself).

 

[FacelessPodcast]

@FacelessPodcast I see now, thank you. I think I assumed that the reason the killer ate the ice cream right from the cups and didn’t flush is because he didn’t flush. I assumed that perhaps then the knife pierced the killer’s hands to cause that much pain or damage when it fact it could have still just been a cut or slice at the palm and fingers it at the superficial level.

RSBM: Yes, I think the damage is enough to leave permanent scars, for him to lose a 'significant' amount of blood in the night but not lead to physical impairment (at least, not after his healing).

I am re-listening to your podcast again to refresh my memory on a number of details but I was wondering if one way Japan’s LE could get around sharing the DNA dilemma is by using the killer’s gloves, fingerprints, palm prints and projected growth rate to make a sort of cast of his hand that could be used to both display abroad and locally what his hand would possibly look like today, including with the scars, and to retest his finger prints, palm prints again with the scars and weight and length added to it?

Would it also be possible to use similar items collected at the crime scene make a cast of what his hands looked like following the murders?

Yes, absolutely. As I understand it, there is nothing stopping the TMPD faxing the fingerprints to American counterparts for them to be put into CODIS etc for comparison. To my knowledge, this has never happened. Though obviously, that premise requires the killer to have subsequently offended in the US and for his prints to be on record. (I tend to discount prior offending in the US due to his young age, according to the TMPD, though we can't be sure).

 

[Charlot123]

RSBM: It's on the Miyazawa side. But, to be clear, it's not on their property. It's across the path. In terms of the graffiti itself, I don't really have an opinion. But FWIW, it looks more like "ZEO" to me. I would guess that the previous post suggesting its a tag would make most sense. These concrete posts are on the 'right' side of the path bisecting Soshigaya Park, on which traffic flows, joggers, families, students, etc. The Miyazawa house is the grey just above the 23. Note, there is a narrow path that runs along the canal bearing immediately east of the house. The space between the house and the water is only a few metres. And to be clear for anyone still somehow maintaining this, this park IS NOT ISOLATED OR REMOTE. IT IS FULL OF LIFE. Yes, the four houses remaining were uncommonly far from their neighbours. But we're talking a matter of metres. That's not to say it's going to be packed at 3 or 4am, of course not. But the killer, leaving that house by foot, would have been extremely lucky to make a short distance without seeing anyone unless he lives a few streets away.
View attachment 520894
Now, to be more clear on the actual geography of the scene. You can see the distance between the posts (where skaters would hang out, concentrating just north of this area where there was/is half-pipe / ramps etc. (Image from 2009).
View attachment 520896

This second image is looking immediately to the left of the one above (note the poster by the cones). So, you can see that yes, the skaters are close. But also, they are not right outside the house.
View attachment 520899

Is that graffiti is some kind of threat or death marker? That's possible, I guess. But I don't see a huge amount backing it up. If it's connected to the murders at all, then I would hazard a guess that it's only in the sense that some angsty teen went to the park at night to spray it. Could it be the murderer? I can't rule it out. It's just not hugely probable to me.

They said it's commonly found in marker pens / various households items. I don't know if it's connected to reflective clothing. I've had people involved in the chemical field assure me that the 'dye' has zero significance, or, if it does, it's such a common one, that it's mere presence in the killer's bag won't tell me anything.

The park is well-lit. I can't say for sure what lighting was like in 2000 but from memory, photos just post the murders show streetlamps everywhere. I can assure you, the killer wouldn't have needed a flashlight at any point. As for the injuries themselves, from the discussions (with the person who was actually invited to do their post-mortem), he spoke only of stabbing and manual beating in the case of Yasuko and Niina. Rei, obviously manual strangulation. Stabbing in Mikio's case (though possible he did hit him while Mikio was defending himself).

Thank you!
@FacelessPodcast, when you say "manual" strangulation, do you mean "purely by hands"? I would think, a garrote, a string or a strong wire would be less energy-consuming.
Why would it matter? The intent. I am torn between whether the plan was:
- to slightly smother and abduct Rei
- to incapacitate Rei and abduct Niina (if he didn't know that she was upstairs that day)
- or, to kill everyone

I wouldn't make much of the increasing savageness of the murders so far. But in general, I can't quite fathom what his initial plan was. It did appear an overkill, tbh. The only situation that would make any sense, if anything makes the sense, would be some form of sexually inappropriate behavior with one of the kids (Rei?), then Niina informing the parents, then the parents getting connected to the perpetrator or his parents. And the perpetrator having a good future ahead of him (a good student? Planning to enter Tokyo University, perhaps?).

Then the rest makes some sense: the intercom buzzing at 8:30 or so, the perpetrator coming to talk to the Miyazawas, the sounds of quarreling voices, the Miyazawas refusing to recant, then the perp leaving and coming/driving back a tad later to silence the whole family. (There is anger, fear and also, the real threat of losing all he had worked for.)

That could explain why Rei was killed in a more "merciful" way, why the violence escalated and why Niina was killed in a "punishing" way. Something else...he knew that Rei was a heavy sleeper, IMHO.

But this would be just one of potential motives. He could be looking for a "report" or "complaint" written by the parents, IMHO.