A Filipino accused of raping and killing a Japanese university student in January 2004 has admitted to the crime.
Lampano Jerico Mori, 36, admitted to raping and murdering a 21-year-old student of Ibaraki University during his first court hearing since his arrest in September 2017, reported Kyodo News.
Mori, and his two other Filipino accomplices, abducted the student while walking along a street in Ami, Ibaraki Prefecture before raping and choking her on January 31, 2004. The suspects then stabbed the victim multiple times at a riverbank in a nearby village.
Mori was arrested last year while working at a factory in Gifu Prefecture.
Meanwhile, the two accomplices, who were minors at the time of the crime, fled Japan after committing the crime and are currently on an international wanted list.
During the hearing, prosecutors presented that the DNA found on the hands of the victim “almost matched” Mori’s DNA.
The Filipino also admitted to murdering the mother of one of his accomplices in March 2007. His counsel said the “young” Mori only committed the crime due to his accomplices’ influence. Mori, however, is now remorseful of the crime and is willing to accept the consequences of his actions.
