First death penalty given by lay judges

A 32-year-old man on trial at the Yokohama District Court became Nov. 16 the first defendant sentenced to death under the lay judge system, convicted of brutally murdering two men last year.

The court said it had no choice but to hand down the death penalty, noting that although Hiroyuki Ikeda had confessed to the killings, his admission carried little weight.

But after reading out the sentence, presiding Judge Yoshifumi Asayama urged Ikeda to file an appeal, saying, "This is a conclusion of consequence, so as a court, we recommend that you file an appeal." Ikeda was charged with conspiring with another man to kill two men in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in June 2009 before dismembering and dumping their corpses.


convicted of して有罪判決になる
conspiring with　共謀して
was charged して起訴された
dismembering　切断して
corpses　切断して


男性ら２人を殺害し、強盗殺人などの罪に問われた男の裁判員裁判の公判が11月16日、横浜地裁で開かれ、男に死刑が言い渡された。裁判員裁判での死刑判決は初めて。


こんなことをする人は死刑になって当然だと思った。
しかし裁判員裁判の裁判員は自分の意見で人が死ぬ重みと戦いながら判決をしたのは一生心に残ることだと思うので大変な決断だったのだと思う。