Japanese serial killer, Tsutomu Miyazaki was also known as The Otaku Murderer or The Little Girl Murderer. He was known to have murdered four young girls in the late 1980s. His other crimes included vampirism and the preservation of body parts as trophies.
From 1988 to 1989, Miyazaki mutilated and killed girls between the ages of four and seven. After that, he sexually molested their corpses and for one of his victims, he drank her blood and ate a part of her hand.
He finally paid for his crimes in 1989 when he was caught trying to abduct a girl. After the trial, the unremorseful serial killer was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging on June 17, 2008. Japan still remembers him as one of the most notorious serial killers in the country ever.
Tsutomu Miyazaki’s Early Life and Background
Born on 21 August 1962, Tsutomu Miyazaki grew up as the oldest son of his wealthy parents in Itsukaichi, Tokyo. He was born premature and he also had a rare birth defect that made his hand joints to be fused together. That prevented him from being able to bend his wrists upwards.
His family operated a regional newspaper company and his grandfather and great-grandfather served on the town’s council. According to reports, Miyazaki’s parents were so busy with their careers while he was growing up that he was mainly raised by his grandfather and also a male nanny.
Due to his disformity, the elementary school he attended kept him secluded so he was mostly by himself. He was later admitted to Meidai Nakano High School and was doing quite well until his grades began to drop. That made him lose an opportunity to receive the customary admission to Meji University.
Therefore, instead of Meiji University, he attended a local junior college where he studied as a photography technician. He initially wanted to study English to become a teacher.
Tsutomu Slipped into Depression Following the Death of His Only Companion, His Grandfather
Following his grandfather’s death in May 1988, Tsutomu Miyazaki began to isolate himself and so fell into depression. Apparently, his grandfather had been the closest thing to a friend he had. Even his sisters; Setsuko and Haruko, reportedly stayed away from him.
In order to hold on to something that belonged to his grandfather, Miyazaki ate part of his grandfather’s ashes. Weeks after that, one of his sisters caught him watching her while she was taking a shower. When she told him to leave, he attacked her. He would later attack his mother after she demanded he spends more time working than playing his videotapes.
The death of his grandfather also complemented his estrangement from his family.
Tsutomu Miyazaki’s Murders Began in August 1988
Mari Konno (22 August 1988; Aged 4)
A day after the serial killer’s 26th birthday, a 4-year-old girl by the name of Mari Konno went missing while playing at a friend’s house. It was later discovered that Tsutomu was the one who had led the little girl into his car.
He took the girl to westward Tokyo where he parked his car under a bridge and murdered her. He also molested her corpse as well. Before he left with her clothes, he dumped her in the hills not far from his home. He allowed the body to decompose before he came back and removed her hands and feet, which he kept in his closet.
He then burnt the girl’s remaining bones, ground them, and sent them to her family in a box along with her teeth, photos of her clothes, and a postcard that reads “Mari. Bones. Cremated. Investigate. Prove.” in Japanese.
Masami Yoshizawa (3 October 1988; Aged 7)
His second victim was Masami Yoshizawa, a 7-year-old whom he abducted on October 3, 1988. He saw her on her way to school and offered to give her a ride however, he took her straight to the same place he took his first victim.
He killed Yoshizawa and molested her corpse before leaving with her clothes again.
Erika Namba (12 December 1988; Aged 4)
Two months after he killed his second victim, Miyazaki went on to abduct Erika Namba, a 4-year-old that was on the streets alone. He forced her into his car and drove to a parking lot in Naguri, where he forcefully removed her clothes and took pictures of her. He then killed her and covered her body with bedsheets.
He disposed of her body and it was discovered a couple of days later. On December 20, the Japanese killer sent a message to Erika’s family using words cut from magazines which translates thus “Erika. Cold. Cough. Throat. Rest. Death“.
Ayako Nomoto ( 6 June 1989; Aged 5)
On June 6, 1989, Tsutomu Miyazaki lured Ayako Nomoto into his car after he took several pictures of her. He murdered her in his car and covered her body with a bed sheet. He then took the corpse to his department and spent two days taking photos and videos of her remains in different positions. He also engaged in sexual acts with the corpse.
By the time her body began to decompose, he dismembered it and left her torso in a cemetery and her head in the hills. He kept her hands, drinking blood from and cannibalizing them. He later went back to the hills and pack all the little girl’s remains to his apartment.
On July 23, 1989, he saw two sisters playing in a park in Hachioji and he lured the younger one to somewhere he could take pictures of her. While he was at it, the father of the girls, who was alerted by the older girl attacked him but he manage to flee on foot leaving his car behind.
His Trial and Execution
Unfortunately, the serial killer got caught when he came back to retrieve his car. Unknowingly to him, the girl’s father had alerted the police and they were waiting for him.
After his arrest, the police searched his apartment where they found videotapes and photos of his victims. He was charged with forcing a minor to commit indecent acts before he eventually confessed to killing four girls.
He was found mentally fit to stand trial and was judged guilty of killing the four girls. While the trial was on, his father, who had earlier refused to pay Miyazaki’s legal defense fees, committed suicide.
He was eventually sentenced to death on April 14, 1997, and on June 17, 2008, the Minister of Justice, Kunio Hatoyama signed his death warrant. He was hanged at the Tokyo Detention House. Reports say his lawyers had argued that he should not be hanged because he was mentally ill.
