After Susumu Tomizawa admitted in a court in western Japan to the murder of his granddaughter Tomomi two years ago, he confirmed that he had no recollection of committing the crime.
During the trial, Tomizawa's lawyers requested that he be acquitted of the murder because he had Alzheimer's disease; But they did not succeed in persuading the court, which issued a sentence of 4 and a half years in prison, for premeditated murder.
He killed her and called her brother
On the night of September 9, 2020, the court heard that Tomizawa, who was living with Tomomi in his home in Fukui, got into an argument with his granddaughter that ended with his teenage murder by stabbing with a knife, and as soon as the crime was finished, he called the victim's brother and told him that he found her body covered in blood.
His mental state has caused controversy
Tomizawa's mental state sparked controversy in court; Where the team representing the victim confirmed that he was aware when he committed his crime, and that he did it intentionally and deliberately.
Doctors who subjected Tomizawa to evaluation issued a report in which they confirmed that he is able to control his actions and has the ability to judge right and wrong, according to what CNN reported.
responsible for his actions
After the evaluation, Judge Yoshinobu Kawamura issued his verdict stating that Tomizawa had Alzheimer's disease; But he is able to assess his actions, and therefore he is responsible for them.
Following the ruling, the opinions of Japanese society, especially doctors, were divided between supporters and opponents. where the team asserted that Tomizawa was responsible for his actions; Others considered the verdict unfair given that the killer suffered from a mental illness.
A very complicated crime
Commenting on the controversial ruling, Jacob Rajesh, chief forensic psychiatrist at Promise Healthcare in Singapore, said: "In advanced cases of Alzheimer's patients, it is difficult to say they are responsible for their actions. The crimes involving dementia patients are very complex."
Rajesh added: "An important question as well is does empathy for a convicted person with dementia conflict with society's perception of justice?"
According to Koichi Hamae, a criminal justice expert and professor of law at Japan's Ryokoku University in Kyoto; "Japan's prisons are full of elderly inmates who suffer from dementia. Their number is increasing, and we have to take various measures to address this."
