Takahiro Shiraishi covers his face inside a police car in Tokyo year 2017, Photo from NBC News.
Tokyo, Japan — Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, infamously known as the “Twitter Killer,” was executed by hanging for the murders of nine people — eight women and one man. The male victim was reportedly the boyfriend of one of the women, and Shiraishi killed him to silence any suspicion.
Shiraishi was arrested in October 2017 after police searched his apartment, following the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had posted suicidal thoughts on social media, including Twitter (now known as X).
Authorities were led to Shiraishi’s residence after the victim’s brother gained access to her X account. There, investigators discovered dismembered human remains.
The victims ranged in age from 15 to 26. “They were beaten, strangled, murdered, robbed, and then mutilated. Some body parts were concealed in boxes, others discarded in a garbage dump,” police spokesperson Suzuki told reporters in Tokyo.
Shiraishi lured his victims to his small apartment in the city of Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, on the outskirts of Tokyo. He stored parts of their bodies in coolers and toolboxes, covering them with cat litter in an attempt to mask the odor and hide the evidence.
His Twitter profile read: “I want to help people who are really in pain. Please DM [direct message] me anytime,” according to the BBC.
In 2020, Shiraishi was sentenced to death.
He later confessed that after murdering the victims, he gratified his sexual and financial desires.