The Yamaguchi District Public Prosecutors Office indicted two men on Friday for the robbery-murder of an 80-year-old wagashi shop owner in Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in a case in which about ¥65 million in cash and four safes were taken from the premises.
The defendants are Kazuki Okura, 27, who runs a handy-services business and lives in Ritsumatsu 1, Saeki Ward, Hiroshima, and Koshiro Muraoka, 26, of Koizumi 2, Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, who runs the same kind of business. They face charges of robbery-murder, attempted robbery-murder and trespassing.
The owner, Kazumasa Saito, was 80 when he was killed at the shop and home in August.
What the indictment says
According to the indictment, the two entered Saito Seika, a wagashi shop in Isa, Mine, through a back door between 11 p.m. on August 27 and about 1:55 a.m. on August 28.
They struck Saito on the head several times with a hammer and killed him, the indictment says. They also beat his 78-year-old wife on the head with a hammer, seriously injuring her, and took about ¥65 million in cash and four safes.
Investigators believe the two were classmates in junior high school. Each ran a business handling pest control and lock problems, and both had contact with Saito through work before the attack, according to people involved in the investigation.
The pair may have known where the safes were kept and that the shop held a large amount of cash.
Family's plea
Saito's 52-year-old eldest son told the Mainichi Shimbun that the family's ordinary life ended after the attack. "I just want them to tell the truth in court," he said.