Man Accused of Making Woman Drink 32 Shots of Tequila, Resulting in Death, Denies Sexual Intent in 1st Court Hearing

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:34 JST, March 2, 2026

A man accused of making a woman drink 32 shots of tequila, resulting in her death, denied having sexual intentions in the first hearing at the Nagoya District Court on Monday.

“I had absolutely no sexual intent,” Hiroki Itaya, 44, told the court.

The case involves a 2023 incident in which a woman was found collapsed at a hotel in Naka Ward, Nagoya. She was later confirmed dead.

Itaya was indicted on the charge of quasi-forced sexual intercourse resulting in death. His defense team has argued that he is innocent.

According to the indictment, Itaya allegedly made the woman, then 25, drink 32 shots of 40-proof tequila at a restaurant in the ward in May 2023. He is alleged to have then put her in a taxi to go to a hotel with the intent of committing sexual acts.

He allegedly caused her to die from hypoxic encephalopathy due to acute alcohol poisoning.