JAPAN: MAN HANDED DEATH PENALTY FOR 'BRUTAL' MURDER OF WOMAN, 2 CHILDREN

Masanori Kawasaki, 63, was sentenced to death by the Takamatsu District Court in Japan for killing his sister in law Keiko Miura, 58, and her grandchildren Akane and Ayana Yamashita, aged 5 and 3, respectively. Presiding Judge Noriaki Kikuchi rejected defence arguments that Kawasaki had a low IQ and pervasive development disorder. Lawyers for Kawasaki immediately filed an appeal. Kawasaki was convicted of entering Miura's home in Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture, on November 16, 2007, fatally stabbing the three and burying their bodies.