Hiroyuki Tsuchida

Murderer

1known / alleged victims

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Case Facts

Gender: male
Country: Japan
Location: Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Date of birth: 1981
Age at first offence: 22
Characteristics: parricide
Victim profile: His mother
Method of murder: Beating with a baseball bat
Date(s) of murder: June 14, 2003
Years active: 2003
Date of arrest: —
Status: Imprisoned
Sentenced to fourteen years in prison in February 2004

Case Summary

Background

Hiroyuki Tsuchida was a Japanese man who, in June of 2003, beat his mother to death with a baseball bat. He was 22 years old at the time.

He claimed the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion made him realize that humans were unnecessary beings, and should be eliminated.

The offence

In June 2003, Hiroyuki Tsuchida beat his mother to death with a baseball bat.

He also conspired to do likewise to the rest of his family.

Tsuchida believed that if he started by killing his family members, it would make it easier for him to kill strangers.

Investigation

During the opening statements of a murder trial, prosecutors stated that Neon Genesis Evangelion influenced a young man accused of beating his mother to death with a baseball bat.

Prosecutors claimed that Tsuchida killed his mother with a baseball bat because he believed that it would be easier to kill others if he got over his hesitations by first killing family members.

The prosecutors stated that Tsuchida came to believe the phrase:

"The ultimate conclusion of (human) evolution is ruin,"

from Neon Genesis Evangelion and that he also came to believe that humans were unnecessary beings responsible for the destruction of the environment. This allegedly brought him to want to kill people.

Trial

Hiroyuki Tsuchida was found guilty of murder by the Yamagata district court.

He was 22 years old at the time of the murder, and was described as 23 years old when reported as being found guilty.

Sentencing

Hiroyuki Tsuchida was sentenced to fourteen years in prison.

Outcome

Tsuchida was pronounced guilty of murder in early 2004.

His interpretation of Neon Genesis Evangelion was not generally accepted as valid.

Other details

He was cited as stating that Neon Genesis Evangelion said: "The ultimate conclusion of human evolution is ruin."

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