Inmate Rearrested over 2007 Murder of 7-year-old Girl in Hyogo Prefecture

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:13 JST, November 27, 2024

A 45-year-old man in prison was officially rearrested on Wednesday for allegedly murdering a 7-year-old girl in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, in 2007, following another arrest on suspected attempted murder of another girl, according to police.

Kunihiko Katsuta admitted his involvement in the 2007 case during questioning, saying that he followed a girl whose outfit and height suited his tastes before stabbing her with a knife, according to police.

The 7-year-old girl died after being stabbed in the chest and stomach in front of her house at around 6 p.m. on Oct. 16, 2007. Katsuta was living at his parents’ house about four kilometers away at the time of the incident.

Katsuta was arrested on Nov. 7 on suspicion of attempted murder using a knife, allegedly targeting an elementary school fourth-grade girl in 2006 in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture.