Photo/Illutration Jun Saito, the suspect in a triple murder on Christmas Day, is seen in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, on Dec. 27, before his case was sent to prosecutors. (Hiroyuki Yamamoto)

HANNO, Saitama Prefecture—Police rearrested an unemployed man in connection with the second of three family members who were killed at their home here on Christmas Day.

Jun Saito, 40, was arrested on Jan. 16 on suspicion of murdering Izumi Morita, 68.

Morita, her husband, William Ross Bishop Jr., 69, and their eldest daughter, Sophianna Megumi Morita, 32, were found bludgeoned to death at the couple’s home in Hanno.

Prefectural police earlier arrested Saito on suspicion of attempting to murder Bishop, an American. They later upgraded the charge to murder and referred him to prosecutors.

Saito, who lived just 60 meters from the couple’s home, has denied involvement in the slayings.

“I didn’t do it,” police quoted him as saying. “I have nothing to do with that.”

Megumi, a company employee residing in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, was visiting her parents over the holidays. The three were killed just after 7 a.m. on Dec. 25, police said.

An examination of their bodies showed they were struck by a blunt instrument on their necks and other areas.

The cause of Morita’s death was hemorrhagic shock from damage to the front of her neck, police said.

Police found a pair of bloodstained gloves during a search of Saito’s home, and they believe he was wearing them during the attack, investigative sources said.

Multiple blunt instruments and other bloodstained clothing have been discovered at Saito’s home, the sources said. DNA patterns on the clothing matched those of the three victims.

Police suspect Saito harbored a one-sided grudge against the Bishop family.

He had been arrested three times since January last year on suspicion of damaging the couple’s car and other properties. 

However, he was not prosecuted because of a lack of hard evidence.

Related News