A court on Monday sentenced a 23-year-old woman to 27 years in prison for killing a high school girl by forcing her from a bridge into a river in Hokkaido in 2024.
Riko Uchida was charged with murder, sexual misconduct resulting in death and confinement of the 17-year-old student. The Asahikawa District Court matched the 27-year prison term sought by prosecutors.
The court ruled it was an “extremely brutal and despicable crime that trampled the victim’s personality and dignity underfoot.”
Presiding Judge Yuka Tanaka said, “Even if the victim fell by herself or by accident, the defendant’s act constitutes the act of execution of murder,” adding that a severe penalty is warranted considering the enormous pain the victim experienced.
During the lay judge trial, Yuka Konishi, an acquaintance of Uchida, testified that Uchida pushed the victim off the bridge, while Uchida claimed she only yelled at the 17-year-old to “fall” and “die” and did not push her.
The defense argued Uchida should not be found guilty of murder or sexual misconduct resulting in death, while admitting the confinement charge.
According to the ruling, Uchida, conspiring with Konishi, confined the victim in a car between the night of April 18 and the early hours of April 19, 2024, after the student had posted a photo of Uchida on social media without her permission.
Konishi, 21, was sentenced to 23 years in prison, with the ruling now final.
The victim was made to undress near a bridge in Asahikawa and sit on its railing before being forced from the bridge into the river, where she drowned.
Monday’s sentencing of Uchida was briefly suspended after a man breached the gallery barrier and rushed toward the judges before being restrained by court officials.
© KYODO
