Defendant Admits Role in Death of Tokyo’s Elderly Woman; Carried Out Robbery Arranged by ‘Luffy’ Group

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, October 18, 2024

A suspect accused of robbing and killing an elderly woman last year in a series of robberies orchestrated by ringleaders who have gone by names such as “Luffy” admitted the charges against him Friday in his first trial by lay judges at the Tokyo District Court’s Tachikawa branch.

Rikuto Nagata, 23, is facing charges including robbery resulting in death for his role in the murder of the woman at her home in Komae, Tokyo.

According to an indictment, Nagata conspired with several people and broke into the 90-year-old woman’s home by pretending to be a delivery worker on Jan. 19, 2023. They then bound her hands and fatally beat her before stealing luxury watches, among other items.