Teenagers bashes parents to death with dumbbell

[OverMyHead]

MITO -- A man who as a teen bashed his parents to death with an iron dumbbell was sentenced to life imprisonment at a ruling at the Mito District Court on Monday.

The 21-year-old, whose name has been withheld because he was a minor at the time of the killings, was handed the life sentence in line with a demand from public prosecutors.

In handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge Masahiko Hayashi blasted his actions.

"There was no particular fault with his parents. It was an extremely selfish act, and can only be described as unjustified resentment. It was a cold-blooded and brutal crime," Hayashi said.

The man's lawyers reportedly do not intend to file an appeal against the ruling.

According to the ruling, the man approached his 51-year-old father, a junior high school teacher, as he was sleeping in a bedroom on the second floor of their home at about 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 23, 2004, and bashed him to death with a 4-kilogram iron dumbbell. He then fatally bashed his 48-year-old mother, who was sleeping in a different room.

At the time of the killings, the teen had shut himself off from society, remaining at home. He had decided he wanted to kill his 78-year-old grandfather, who dealt with him strictly, and was also angry with his parents, the court heard. The teen explained that he had killed his parents first to overcome the fear of killing his grandfather. During his trial he said, "I have absolutely no regrets about the killings."

The 21-year-old's grandfather, who attended the hearing, said he didn't think a life sentence was harsh punishment.

"I don't think it was a harsh sentence. He's given no apology, and it seems like he doesn't think he's done anything bad," the 78-year-old said. "I hope he becomes a respectable person." He added that he had no plans to go and visit the 21-year-old in the future.

Call me morbid, but I find the very last paragraph amusing.