21‑year-old becomes Japan's first teenager sentenced to death after double murder and arson
The Kofu District Court in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, passed down this death sentence to 21-year-old Yuki Endo, as reported by "The Japan Times". The verdict, referencing crimes committed in 2021, was delivered on a Thursday. In 2022, the Japanese government lowered the age of adulthood from 20 to 18, to intensify penalties for 18 and 19-year-olds. Consequently, Endo is the first person sentenced to death for an offense committed during his teenage years.
4:37 PM EST, January 18, 2024
Judge Jun Mikami asserted that the defendant was "fully capable of being responsible for the crime" and that "his age does not act as an excuse to evade the death penalty" – as informed by a Japanese news outlet.
As noted by the prosecution in October 2021, then 19-year-old Endo visited the house of the teenage girl he was smitten with and stabbed her parents. Later, he attacked her younger sister with a machete and set fire to the house. The teenager escaped unscathed. Following the crime, Endo surrendered to the authorities and composed a letter wherein he confessed his resentment towards his high school friend, who had spurned his romantic overtures.
The trial scrutinized Endo's mental health. While the prosecutors, arguing for the death penalty, contended Endo was fully responsible for his actions and had killed the girl's parents to cause her psychological harm, the defense suggested the 21-year-old suffered from some form of mental impairment.
The court declared Yuki Endo to be fully accountable for his actions, stating that any prospect of rehabilitation was minimal and thus levied a death sentence. According to "The Japan Times", upon hearing the verdict, the 21-year-old merely nodded and froze where he stood.
