As death sentence is finalized, Sagamihara killer says he was “wrong to continue the trial”

Written with extracts translated from NHK

Aoril 1st 2020

The death penalty was handed down to Satoshi Uematsu on March 16 for killing 19 residents at a facility for the intellectually disabled in Sagamihara , and later his lawyer dropped the appeal and the death penalty was finalized. “I was wrong to continue the trial, but there was a conflict in my heart,” Uematsu said.

Uematsu, aged 30, now death row inmate was sentenced to death in the Yokohama District Court in the first instance last month on charges of killing 19 residents at a facility for people with disabilities in Sagamihara City in 2016.

Uematsu’s lawyer appealed the ruling, but later dropped the appeal and the death sentence was finalized on March 31.

Uematsu said in an interview with a NHK reporter at the Yokohama Detention Center on Wednesday that he had withdrawn the appeal, saying, “I thought it would be wrong to continue the trial anymore. I was used to the fear of death. ”

At present, access is allowed, but it is expected that restrictions will be imposed in the future, and Uematsu said: “I was so sad that I couldn’t access my meeting or exchange letters, so I thought I’d stop dropping my appeal, and I had a conflict. I’m nervous because I can’t talk to anyone in the future. “”