A man charged with brutally murdering two housewives...

A man charged with brutally murdering two housewives in Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, in August and September, 2001, was sentenced to death.
The Yokohama District Court ordered Koichi Shoji, 48, to hang for robbery and murder, and that his accomplice, 40-year-old Fumiyo Yamamoto, spend her remaining life behind bars.
"Shoji committed extremely atrocious and brutal crimes that deprived two people of their lives. He masterminded the crime and played the leading role in them," Presiding Judge Ryoichi Tanaka said as he handed down the ruling.
Tanaka said he chose life imprisonment for Yamamoto because she played a passive role in the crimes and she has deeply regretted her involvement in them.
"The defendant was an ordinary housewife who was not likely to commit a crime. She played a comparatively passive role in the crimes. She has apologized to the victims and their bereaved families," the presiding judge said. Prosecutors had demanded that the court sentence both Shoji and Yamamoto to death.
Shoji conspired with Yamamoto, his girlfriend at the time, to stab Hiroko Hayashi, 54, an acquaintance, to death in late August 2001, and stole some 230,000 yen in cash and her cash card, according to the ruling.
The following month, the two drowned Fumiko Osawa, 42, in a bathtub, and stole 60,000 yen and her bankbook from her, the presiding judge said. Yamamoto became acquainted with Osawa when they lived in the same apartment complex.
During the trial, Shoji pleaded guilty but denied his crime was aimed at robbery. Yamamoto pleaded guilty to all the charges pressed against her, but asked for leniency claiming that she was brainwashed by Shoji.