Sagamihara care home massacre accused asked if someone could talk when choosing victim, employee recounts

By Barrier Free Japan with extracts translated from NHK

January 10th 2020

The the trial of a man accused of killing 19 people and injuring others at a care home in Sagamihara City on July 26th 2016 continued in the the morning of January 10th at in the Yokohama District Court.

Satoshi Uematsu, 29, who on Wednesday who pleaded not guilty to killing 19 residents and injuring dozens more at the facility, wore mittens on the second day of his trial at the Yokohama District Court.

The defendant was ordered to leave the court at the first hearings on January 8th, after appearing to bite his finger, but appeared at the second hearing, where he bowed to the court five minutes before the court resumed the hearings. He wore a black suit and a white shirt, did not tie, had thick gloves up to his wrists to prevent injuries in his hands.

A statement was taken by from an employee who was detained by the defendant. The employee testified that the defendant would ask if a potential victim could talk when choosing whether to attack them.

Specifically the employee stated that , “the defendant asked,” Can you talk? “And Mr. A said “I can’t talk. “The defendant peeled off the futon from one of the victims, Mr. A, and stabbed him several times with a kitchen knife in the lower back.