Savage murder rocks city in Toyama

TOYAMA — Police in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, are looking into the background of a man who was brutally murdered on Tuesday night in what appears to be a grudge killing. Company employee Teruo Hamatani, 52, was stabbed to death in front of his residence at around 8:45 p.m. by an unknown individual in a crime that stunned the local community with its viciousness. NTV quoted police as saying the attack was particularly savage, with the killer having stabbed Hamatani 23 times in the face, shoulders and chest. Hamatani’s wife found her husband’s body, police said.

Police said they believe the killer knew where Hamatani lived and what time he usually returned home from work each night, and lay in wait for him. No money or any other personal belongings were taken from the body, leading police to believe the killer had a grudge against Hamatani. Police said Friday that bloodstains were found on a 170-cm fence at the back of Hamatani’s home, adding that the killer most likely made his getaway by climbing over the fence and then running along an alley. Shortly following the discovery of the body, police said eyewitnesses reported having seen a strange car and suspicious person in the vicinity of the crime scene.

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