A 60-year-old man accused of fatally beating his 84-year-old mother with a wooden sword in May 2022 went on trial at the Aomori District Court on Tuesday.
According to the indictment at the court in Towada City, Aomori Prefecture, Katsuichi Komine committed the crime to conceal the fact that he had stolen money from his mother’s wallet, Kyodo News reported.
However, Komine’s lawyer told the lay judges that his client was an alcoholic and was intoxicated at the time [of the crime], and thus not criminally responsible.
Prosecutors argued that chronic alcohol abuse and impaired behavior “does not affect the defendant’s ability to take responsibility for his actions.”
Komine is accused of using a 100-cm-long wooden sword to beat his mother about the head several times at her home between May 16 and May 17, 2022. An autopsy revealed that Katsuko sustained several injuries to her arms as well, most likely while trying to defend herself.
Komine and his wife had lived with the victim until 2017. Komine and his wife separated but his wife was still living with his mother. Komine’s wife found her mother-in-law dead in the living room when she returned home on the night of May 17.
© Japan Today
6 Comments
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602miko
In my opinion, intoxicated ppl they know what are they doing.
Ichigo
This is horrific, to die a slow yet painful and violent death at the hands of your son. The defendant couldn't have been drunk this whole time, and must have sobered enough at some point to realize that his mother was dead, even if he didn't mean to kill her. There is no defense for this disgusting piece of scum.
Hercolobus
Miko san,
yes you are right. Alcohol is a portal to evil.
Sanjinosebleed
Just a selfish scumbag!
The Original Wing
Does being intoxicated make you not criminally responsible for crimes committed?
sir_bentley28
And Japan doesn't see alcohol as a dangerous drug! This guy did the same thing some heavy drug users do to get their fix : steal money from a family member.