The Twitter Killer (True Crime Documentary)

What this episode is about

The documentary explores the unsettling case of Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the "Twitter Killer," who shocked Japan with his gruesome crimes despite appearing as a typical, well-adjusted youth. As the narrative unfolds, it delves into his background, the chilling indifference he displayed during his trial, and the emotional turmoil faced by the families of his victims, revealing a stark contrast between his normal childhood and the heinous acts he eventually committed.

Key takeaways

• Takahiro Shiraishi: A 'normal' childhood masks the dark potential lurking in many seemingly average lives.
• Sometimes, a 'creepy' vibe isn't just social awkwardness; it can foreshadow more sinister impulses waiting to erupt.
• Choking games in youth might just seem foolish fun, but they can hint at deeper emotional dysfunctions lurking beneath.
• A breakdown in family structure often catalyzes profound mental shifts—Takahiro's divorce fallout marked the start of his descent.
• In Japan's red-light districts, morality blurs; Takahiro's shift to scouted sex work highlights society’s shadows and procedural negligence.

Who speaks in this episode?

• James (Guest) · 32 min speaking
• Takahiro Shiraishi (Guest) · 4 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Takahiro Shiraishi, Japan
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Twitter, Takahiro Shiraishi
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Mizuki Miyura, Twitter, Shogo Nishinaka
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Shogo Nishinaka, Kuhera Ishihara, Twitter, Hitomi Fujima
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Natsumi Kubo, Twitter, Aiko Tamura, Kazumi Marayama
6. 25:00 – 30:00: Twitter, Jack Dorsey
7. 30:00 – 35:00: Takahiro Shiraishi
8. 35:00 – 36:02: Takahiro Shiraishi, Twitter, Japan

Notable quotes from "The Twitter Killer (True Crime Documentary)"

• Hurt with a sharp knife over and over again unfortunately there was salt ahead for his open wounds welcome or welcome back to Twisted Minds my name is James and today we are…

  about Takahiro Shiraishi · at 0:39

• Scoutsman job he was now an unemployed 27 year old man with no money too much time on his hands and the danger of incarceration hanging like a dark cloud over his head I mean…

  about Twitter · at 8:31

• Not takahiro's first victim was Mizuki miyura she was 21 years old and the first person takahiro met online who agreed to meet in person under the guise of a shared depression…

  about Mizuki Miyura · at 13:20

• Her assaulted her and hung her this was his first act of violence but it stirred a Hunger for More Sex and Money his primary motivation it was late August of 2017 and his next…

  about Kuhera Ishihara · at 15:52

• The equivalent of less than a hundred dollars the search for takahiro's first victim Mizuki Mira was still on the police were doing everything they could and chasing leads that…

  about Shogo Nishinaka · at 17:55

• Was too late that afternoon takahiro had assaulted her strangled her to death and robbed her wallet of the little change that was there but unfortunately takahiro wasn't…

  about Natsumi Kubo · at 19:47

• His final victim Ico tomorrow was a 23 year old resident of hachioji City when she disappeared on the evening of the 21st of October a lot had happened in Aiko's life that made…

  about Aiko Tamura · at 22:50

• In the aftermath of talk hero sentencing the questions raised about the dangers of social media especially as regards to its use amongst people with mental illness still…

  about Japan · at 34:13

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Takahiro Shiraishi — Person · Primary subject (perpetrator) in true-crime narrative · 7 mentions · first at 0:00
  Central figure of the episode; described as a serial killer who lured suicidal individuals via Twitter and murdered them in Zama, Japan, leading to a major trial and social-media safety debate.
• Mizuki Miyura — Person · Victim (first victim described) · 3 mentions · first at 13:20
  Presented as Shiraishi’s first victim; her disappearance triggers early concern and connects to Shogo Nishinaka, who confronts Shiraishi.
• Aiko Tamura — Person · Victim (final victim described) / catalyst for arrest · 1 mention · first at 23:02
  Described as the final victim whose brother traced Twitter messages, set a sting, and brought police to Shiraishi’s home, leading to discovery of remains and confession.
• Shogo Nishinaka — Person · Victim / witness-adjacent figure (friend of first victim) · 4 mentions · first at 13:34
  Identified as Mizuki Miyura’s male friend who accompanied her initially and later confronted Shiraishi; described as the only male victim among the nine.
• Kuhera Ishihara — Person · Victim (second victim described) · 3 mentions · first at 16:04
  Depicted as a high-school student who communicated with Shiraishi on Twitter about depression/suicide; she hesitated, but was murdered and robbed.
• Natsumi Kubo — Person · Victim (sixth victim described) · 3 mentions · first at 20:00
  Depicted as a 17-year-old whose phone GPS cut off near Shiraishi’s neighborhood; used to show escalation and pattern before police identified him.
• Hitomi Fujima — Person · Victim (fifth victim described) · 2 mentions · first at 19:21
  Described as a 26-year-old who went to meet someone from Twitter; she was murdered and robbed, illustrating the repeated modus operandi.
  Be the first victim that takahiro promised a death pact with he took advantage of pinacon's depression and upon her arrival assaulted her before strangling her with a rope and…
• Hinakon Sarashina — Person · Victim (fourth victim described) · 1 mention · first at 19:02
  Presented as a 19-year-old victim; described as among the first where Shiraishi promised a 'death pact' before assaulting, strangling, and robbing her.
  Stole the equivalent of less than a dollar the reason for this killing was slightly different in takahiro's brain he was tying up Loose Ends because of his nine victims shelgo…
• Kazumi Marayama — Person · Victim (eighth victim described) · 1 mention · first at 21:54
  Presented as a 25-year-old convenience store worker; her murder is framed as occurring after Shiraishi became 'sloppy' and left more traceable messages.
  Untouchable he had killed seven people at this point six of whom were girls and yet the police weren't even remotely close to figuring him out thankfully this Cockiness led to…
• Jack Dorsey — Person · Referenced executive / public-response figure · 1 mention · first at 29:43
  Mentioned as Twitter’s CEO at the time, offering condolences and commenting on the feasibility of auto-deleting suicidal tweets—used to frame platform responsibility.
  When takahiro's case was brought to light by the media it grabbed the court of public opinion in a Chokehold the entire country was scandalized by the Gory details and the…

Companies & orgs

• Twitter — Company · Business focus · 13 mentions · first at 8:49
  The platform used by the perpetrator to find and lure his victims.

Places & events

• Japan — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 1:02
  The country where the crimes took place and where the perpetrator was born and lived.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 he had the face of death takahiro shiraishi looked like a man who was lost in the emptiness of his own soul a soul that was as vacant as his eyes eyes that held nothing no anger no spite no contempt and definitely no remorse it's no wonder why during his trial the families of his victims felt their anger and frustration was wasted on him one of the victim's brothers would even say that his heart died in his own words takahiro didn't sound at all like he regretted what he had done watching his sister's killer speak during the trial felt like being hurt with a sharp knife over and over again unfortunately there was salt ahead for his open wounds welcome or welcome back to Twisted Minds my name is James and today we are going to dive into the brutal utterly diabolical an incredibly chilling case of takahiro shirashi foreign had a normal childhood he was born in the city of Zama Japan on the 9th of October 1990 and he spent all of his

1:15 life there with his parents and younger sister according to those who knew him when he was in elementary school little takahiro had average grades he was quiet and pretty normal for any kid his age he might not have been popular at school but he had friends and while there weren't many no one hated him because he was kind polite and cheerful when he needed to be his teachers also noted that while average takahiro took his studies very seriously he was attentive in class and never missed a day at school these character traits would follow him into high school where he became more social takahiro also got into Athletics and baseball and was quite decent at both with time his Social Circle widened because he was also a good listener takihiro's early years were so normal that many years later when his terrible crimes were exposed most of his schoolmates found it difficult to believe that he was the same person however if they were being completely honest with themselves there

2:18 were signs and while those signs might have been negligible back then they were there nonetheless the general consensus for anyone who had encountered or interacted with takahiro during his school years was that they found him creepy not creeping away that made people want to stay away from him he just inspired a deep concern in them because most of the time he seemed lifeless you see from childhood takahiro had always had a laid-back almost docile attitude toward life when he wasn't listening to his friend's talk and sometimes even when he was his face looked like a sad mask like it was detached from his environment present and at the same time absent the only girlfriend he had After High School described him as an extremely gentle person to her and many others takahiro couldn't hurt a fly but in the same breath she also spoke about bizarre instances another sign that more plainly foreshadowed his future crimes came in

3:22 the form of choking games that talk a hero and a couple of friends at his high school played on one occasion things got so bad that takahiro passed out when this information was revealed to the public during later investigations there were many who screamed that it should have been an early sign a red flag of some sort but there is context here and I beg to differ on that context how many dumb and borderline dangerous activities did you witness as a kid and if you wanted to be honest then answer this how many more did you personally participate in the truth is there's no way anyone could have guessed that a choking game was an indication of takahiro's future crimes because whatever was wrong with him wasn't immediately evident it was buried in his deep psyche and would stay dormant for years in retrospect some believe no amount of therapy would have been able to fix takahiro because he had thick walls around his broken psyche walls

4:26 that he wasn't even aware existed in his final year of high school takahiro's family fell apart his parents separated and then divorced and his mother relocated with his younger sister to another part of town leaving him with his father it's unclear if this is what led to takahiro's decision to skip University but he did and from here on his life would go on an irredeemable downward spiral to Absolute perversion foreign graduation in 2009 takahiro took on a couple of odd jobs working in a food factory and a Pachinko parlor before eventually settling for a supermarket job that kept him busy for two years during this period takahiro made deliberate efforts to be close to his father he continued living with him and helped out at his automotive design Workshop his father took notice of his son's effort and openly appreciated his presence and support he even went as far as praising takahiro whenever he was having conversations with his colleagues and neighbors according to the latter

5:38 takahiro and his father grew so close that they hung out at local bars where they drank and talked about life it was during one of these conversations that takahiro gave his father a glimpse into the state of his mind he told his pops plainly that he couldn't find a reason to live it's unclear how his father responded to to this or if any actions were taken but soon after this incident in 2011 take hero quit the supermarket job and took a less respectable job as a scoutsman for a sex parlor in kabukacho District which is famously known as a red light district in Japan a scoutsman is an individual usually male whose job requires him to convince conventionally attractive women to work in sex parlors for every lady these men bring they receive a commission and if the scoutsman gets caught by the police they could also face jail time because the job is illegal in Japan however this law is hardly ever enforced so why did

6:42 takahiro leave his former job for this borderline dangerous and shameful occupation that's still something of an unsolved mystery on its own it could be that the supermarket job wasn't paying well enough another reason could be that he had done something wrong that for forced him to quit or it could be that takahiro had begun to feel those perverse Cravings in his psyche the same Cravings that would later lead to his gruesome crimes he wanted to insert himself into an environment that would facilitate those desires much later after he was caught takahiro would tell the police that he committed the crimes he did for money sex and nothing else now takahiro wasn't a particularly good Scotsman in fact it's safe to say that he was lousy at his job takahiro had the habit of approaching emotionally damaged depressed and vulnerable ladies who were ultimately bad for the business he was trying to convince them to join thankfully most of them found him creepy enough to push him away however his

7:45 colleagues in the scoutsman profession noticed and were not happy with his weird methods and client choices if he continued this way it would only be a matter of time before he would draw the attention of the police and land them all in trouble so one of the scouts men decided to take matters into their own hands he took a picture of takahiro and posted it online with the caption watch out for this scout if this was an attempt to discredit him it had its intended consequences because when the police caught wind of it they arrested takahiro and sentenced him to 14 months in prison but it was a suspended sentence which means he wouldn't see any jail time except if he committed another crime so takahiro was forced to quit his scoutsman job he was now an unemployed 27 year old man with no money too much time on his hands and the danger of incarceration hanging like a dark cloud over his head I mean what could go wrong

8:43 in the days and months that followed takahiro filled his void with a curious obsession with social media he invested all of his time on Twitter but while most Twitter users engage in toxic yet harmless banter on the platform takahiro had deliberate ill intent You could argue that this is where it all began one Psychopaths boredom led to nine unfortunate victims foreign approach his targets were still the same vulnerable often depressed ladies with suicidal thoughts but unlike real life where he easily came off as a creep online takahiro could easily mask his depravity and he did successfully he created two Twitter accounts for this on the first account he had the username at Hanging Pro takahiro projected himself as an individual that was proficient in helping people die specifically through the means of hanging on this account talk to Hero actively posted about suicide assisted suicide and hanging

10:00 especially hanging it was Sinister to say the least in his Twitter bio he wrote I want to spread the knowledge of hanging I want to become a truly aggressive Force DM me if you're interested under the second account takahiro approached his victims differently here he assumed the character of an individual struggling with depression a victim seeking company for his misery in one post under this account takahiro tweeted I want to forget everything on another I want to disappear on another he wrote I really want to become the source of strength for everyone who is in pain if you are at a dead end please consult me this is the second account that reveals just how detached takahiro was from reality the mere thought that he preyed on people who might or might not have wanted to take their lives is just plain evil but takihero didn't care all he was interested in was setting the Trap but props are just that traps and

11:04 as much as social media draws and holds the attention of unsuspecting people most of us are still careful with how we interact with strangers online so takahiro went one step forward and meticulously comb through the hashtags related to Suicide just as he had specifically targeted vulnerable women during his scoutsman days takahiro found and sent direct messages to users who had posted suicidal tweets with this message let's die together takahiro was not only preying on these vulnerable Twitter users he was also promising them death packs that that he had no plans on following through on in August 2017 takahiro informed his father that he had found the love of his life and wanted to get a place of his own of course there was no love in his life and the reason he suddenly wanted his own place was for the freedom and privacy to move on to the next stage of his diabolical plans but his father believed him and stepped

12:07 in as a guarantor for a spacious Loft that cost about 227 dollars per month and was about 2.5 kilometers away from his home on the 22nd of that same month takahiro moved in and almost immediately the killings began like many before the hero's new neighbors found him odd they all lived in a two-story 12-unit apartment block and one of the first things they noticed in the few weeks after he moved in was his bathroom ventilation fan it was always on always in use they wondered maybe he kept it on because of the terrible pungent smell that had taken over their floor and was emanating directly from his apartment those affected complained takahiro apologized but nothing changed some neighbors also noticed that he frequented the neighborhood garbage collection Point several times a day every day with black bags of trash in his hands what was he constantly disposing of at this point you already know what the Neighbors at the time did

13:20 not takahiro's first victim was Mizuki miyura she was 21 years old and the first person takahiro met online who agreed to meet in person under the guise of a shared depression unfortunately for his perverse intentions Mizuki wisely asked a male friend to accompany her this male friend was 20 year old shogo nishinaka from Yokosuka City the date was August 13 2017 and the three met in a park discussed and had a drink now any normal person with the attend to murder would back off because of the third party her friend but takahiro wasn't a normal person six days after their meeting on the 19th of August takahiro borrowed 510 000 Yen from Mizuki the equivalent of forty five hundred dollars at that time his reason for the loan was so that he could rent an apartment this was probably a lie considering he already had the apartment that his father had just got him however takahiro was able to string her alarm to a real

14:25 estate agency where together they checked out some apartments in Zama takahiro also promised to pay her back even though he had no intention to and unsurprisingly this is where the problem began on the 21st of August Mizuki left a note for her family where she said she would disappear for a while she also said she would be back but she didn't give a time when her parents saw this note they panicked and called the police and after some investigation they found the 21 year old's phone in a woman's restroom at a cadase beach in fujisawa City about 20 kilometers away from the apartment takahiro had rented takahiro wasn't under investigation and the police weren't aware of his connection with her but someone else was and that someone was her friend shogo nishinaka meanwhile Mizuki had visited takahiro that day with the plan of hanging out at his place for a couple of days some sources say she planned to move in with

15:26 him there's no way to prove this however Mizuki also had every intention of getting the money back that she lent to takahiro takahiro told investigators much later that he didn't have the means to repay the money he also knew that she would report him to the police if he didn't and this would have triggered his suspended sentence so for him there was only one option on the table not long after she arrived at his home he drugged her assaulted her and hung her this was his first act of violence but it stirred a Hunger for More Sex and Money his primary motivation it was late August of 2017 and his next victim was just a few days away takahiro's second victim was kuhera ishihara she was a great student an active member of the student committee at her High School a member of her school's drama club and a big fan of both anime and video games to the Casual Observer kuhero was a happy active and occupied teenager but what

16:31 most people didn't know that she was also secretly battling depression unfortunately the person she eventually confided in was takahiro the two conversed for a while on Twitter and takahiro was able to convince her to come to his house they planned to take her life with his permission she was essentially going to his house for assisted suicide one morning she put on her school uniform and left her home but she had no intention of going to school that day in fact she had already informed the school authorities that she would be absent she was last seen at a train station at around seven in the evening headed for takahiro's house when kuhira failed to return by evening her mother began to fear that something was wrong she called the school and they told her that they hadn't seen her so her mother tried contacting her directly over the phone but her calls wouldn't go through and her messages were left unread it was

17:28 early September just five days after takahiro's first murder earlier that day kuhera arrived at his home ready but after a while she began to get cold feet she no longer wanted to die but takahiro couldn't be less bothered he drugged her took sexual advantage of her and hung her as promised and when he was done he went through her purse and stole her money taking a few thousand yen from her the equivalent of less than a hundred dollars the search for takahiro's first victim Mizuki Mira was still on the police were doing everything they could and chasing leads that led nowhere the only person who had a clue about mizuki's disappearance was her friend for some reason shogo didn't take his hunch to the police and we don't know how much Mizuki told him about her deal with takahiro we also don't know if she told him that she lent The Stranger some money that she went to retrieve but we do know that shogo knew enough to call

18:29 and confront takahiro he reached out to takahiro demanding answers takahiro invited him to his house and unfortunately shogo honored his invitation upon his arrival takahiro knocked him out and strangled him to death in what was about to become a routine takahiro searched his wallet and stole the equivalent of less than a dollar the reason for this killing was slightly different in takahiro's brain he was tying up Loose Ends because of his nine victims shelgo was the only man takihiro's fourth victim was hinakon sarashina she was 19. hinacon appears to be the first victim that takahiro promised a death pact with he took advantage of pinacon's depression and upon her arrival assaulted her before strangling her with a rope and when she was dead he stole a couple hundred dollars from her wallet by the 23rd of September takahiro was on to his next victim 26 year old Hitomi fujima from sayatama prefecture she had canceled a scheduled meeting with another male friend earlier that day after telling

19:36 the same friend that she was going to see someone she got acquainted with on Twitter when she didn't return home later that night her family rightfully panicked and called the police but it was too late that afternoon takahiro had assaulted her strangled her to death and robbed her wallet of the little change that was there but unfortunately takahiro wasn't slowing down a few days later he was on to his next victim the family of 17 year old natsumi Kubo was crippled with fear when her school called in to report that the teenager had failed to attend school that day to make matters worse when the police tried to track her phone's GPS it got cut off in what they would later learn was takahiro's neighborhood mind you no one suspected takahiro at the time and as far as this case and all the cases before it was concerned he didn't even exist at this point you know the ammo you probably already know what happened the moment 17 year old natsumi

20:38 Kubo arrived at takahiro's house she was drugged assaulted and hung to death then the vile pervert went through her purse and took the little money she had she was his sixth victim on the 27th of September another 17 year old girl failed to show up at school her name was akri suda and in the days leading up to her disappearance her classmates reported that she withdrew from their class group chat and when the police tried to trace the phone they found once again that it stopped emitting signals around the same area as natsumi Kubo the 17 year old who went missing just days before do I need to get into the details of what happened with the utmost respect to the victim and their family it was the same MO same act and as usual she got robbed posthumously by takahiro at this point and as is often with the case with most serial killers takahiro must have begun to feel a bit cocky perhaps even

21:41 Untouchable he had killed seven people at this point six of whom were girls and yet the police weren't even remotely close to figuring him out thankfully this Cockiness led to errors on his part errors that would eventually lead to his capture Hero's next victim was 25 year old Kazumi marayama she worked at a convenience store and while it is unclear what exchanges she had with takihiro that led him to draw her into his trap it's safe to say that it was related to suppressed feelings of depression and suicide that she harbored takahiro took her life and like the others before her he robbed her posthumously however like I said before takahiro had gotten sloppy the killings had become routine for him and he had begun to leave trails of damning messages on his Twitter feed and in the DMS that all led to his fake accounts to be more candid it's not like he wasn't sloppy from the very beginning but that's besides the point What

22:44 mattered at the moment was that his time was up takahiro's next victim was about to be his final victim Ico tomorrow was a 23 year old resident of hachioji City when she disappeared on the evening of the 21st of October a lot had happened in Aiko's life that made her susceptible to takahiro's snare her mother had recently passed away and the loss had plunged her into a depression so deep that she had to move into a group home where residents received assistance from Psychiatric professionals and social workers however restricted and her social media use wasn't regulated so her time at the home was spent surfing Twitter looking for like-minded people she could discuss her feelings with freely and anonymously unfortunately takahiro found his way into that category of people and after a few dozen messages takahiro drove her from despair into a bleak realization that she had to end her life to find peace they agreed to meet and she made

23:48 the trip from her side of the Town however before she left she told her supervisors and older brother that she was going to visit an acquaintance she didn't give them any other details but they were expecting her to return that night she never returned when Ico arrived at takahiro's house she began to get cold feet of course she didn't want to kill herself it was grief that had taken her into those depths of Despair not a lack of purpose all she needed was time to heal takahiro did not care he had his plan and the moment Aiko turned her back on him he knocked her down she fought back but he overpowered her strangled her and hung her from the loft of his apartment doing to her exactly what he had done to the eight victims before her but this time there were Clues one of the first was uncovered by the police they were able to trace her location with the help of CCTV cameras and the GPS to the hachiochi station and the odakyu odoris

24:51 Line sobudai Station police also found that she was not alone walking with her was a man that bore the resemblance of takahiro shirashi however this didn't lead to takihiro's arrest his arrest was a little more dramatic a little more personal unknown to take a hero Aiko had informed her older brother of him and their meeting and when his younger sister failed to return from that meeting he knew exactly where to look first of all he hacked into his sister's Twitter account where to his horror he found the messages that she had been sharing with takahiro he noticed that there was an attempt to delete the messages but there was enough for him to establish that this was the same man that his sister had gone to meet so Aiko's older brother contacted a female friend of his they set up a fake account on Twitter message takahiro's account and gained his trust which was surprisingly easy and takahiro

25:56 eventually agreed to meet them with a message that read let's die together iko's older brother then contacted the police and informed them of their plan thankfully the police cooperated and they went along with Aiko's brother to the designated meeting place which just happened to be talking Hero's home the moment they knocked from the moment takiro opened his door he knew the game was up they asked him where Aiko was and he immediately told them that she was in the freezer what the police found inside his apartment shook them deeply dismembered body parts were stuffed into three coolers in the apartment heads arms and legs there were also five large tool boxes each containing its own collection of rotting body parts most of the body parts had huge chunks of Flesh removed in what appeared to be a half-assed attempt to skin the flesh from the bones some of these parts were also found in cat litter which once again was another half-assed attempt to

26:58 mask the stench that came from the rotting corpses of his victims it didn't help eventually 240 different human bones were found in the apartment there was no way to determine the identity except through DNA testing the police did find the dismembered bodies or what was left of iku's body as well as her ID and what appeared to be her handbag takahiro's confession was quick and easy he didn't hesitate to tell the police the story of who he killed and how he killed them the ammo was as stated he stalked out his victims on Twitter and brought them back to his apartment under the guise of assisting them or joining them in suicide he then told the police that all of his victims changed their minds about taking their lives at the last minute none of them wanted to die but that didn't affect his intent to kill them he killed them regardless so why why did he kill them sex and money he said they were merely objects of his desire

28:00 during parts of the questioning that followed his arrest takahiro would chuckle as he joked about how hard it was to dismember the bodies and how surprisingly difficult it was to dispose of them after he was disturbingly nonchalant about what he had done he told them that the dismembering happened in his bedroom after which he would dispose of the parts in a garbage collector that was shared with his neighbors according to him his first killing was the most difficult to sort through it took him three days to cut apart the body however he admitted that with time he became more Adept skillful and efficient with cutting and Disposal to the point where he could get rid of a body within a day now this is where takahiro began to show a more bizarre side to his personality he was more shocked about his rest than anything else he even told the press that the thought kept him awake at night and he

28:56 wished he had done more to hide and destroy all of the evidence that led to his Discovery because believe it or not while he busied himself with the bodies of his victims he left their personal effects their phones bags and wallets around his house it skipped his mind takahiro was no Ted Bundy he was not the type of serial killer who kept trophies he was a beast without a leash takahiro moved as his vile Spirit led him when takahiro's case was brought to light by the media it grabbed the court of public opinion in a Chokehold the entire country was scandalized by the Gory details and the ethical questions it raised especially when it came to the responsibility that the social media company Twitter had to Bear Jack Dorsey CEO of the company at the time offered his condolences to the families of the victims but in the same breath considered the idea of auto-deleting suicidal tweets to be unrealistic

30:01 meanwhile efforts were made to hide the identity of the victims in accordance with Japanese law but if you know anything about Japanese True Crime cases then you know it was an exercise in futility mainstream media and tabloids colluded to unearth not only the details of the case but the identities of the eight females and one male that were viciously killed they even provided updates on the case in real time it was sad to witness and it placed more burden on The Grieving families of The Departed especially because they had to deal with the rumors that ensued imagine losing a loved one in such a tragic Manner and then having to deal with sensationalist headlines about your loved one being eaten by the maniac who killed them of course it wasn't true but that was the rumor in town and you know how much people love rumors takahiro's trial was frustratingly long for everyone involved despite the fact that the man had already confessed to everything he had

31:01 done and even helped the investigation that brought him to trial at first the prosecutors wanted to be sure that he was mentally competent enough to be held liable for his crimes because there was nothing about his behavior that seemed normal fortunately for everyone he was deemed competent and his case proceeded to court during his trial the media tried to get an in-person interview with him however takahiro demanded payment and since no one wanted to be the company that paid the maniac money they declined however there was one media company that not only refused to pay him but also called his bluff and came to visit him regardless funnily enough takihiro not only granted them an audience but he crowed like a rooster at Don they even got him to shed more light on his damaged psyche his thought process and his sense of morality take hero told them that he just didn't care he loved his family and wouldn't do anything to hurt them he also said that

32:01 he couldn't hurt people that he had come to know and love but that was where he drew the line everyone else was fair game it was a dichotomy for him he couldn't harm the people he knew but for people he didn't know he could skim their bones white without losing any sleep there was Zero remorse during this interview takahiro spoke about the crimes with the same enthusiasm that one would speak about an eventful bachelor's party in the Bahamas he laughed he made wild gestures and he even hinted at the prospect of writing a book or long letters if the price was right meanwhile in the trial talk Hero's attorney tried to once again raised questions as to whether he was actually confident enough to be held criminally responsible they raised a second wave of psychiatric exams arguing that his mental capacity was significantly diminished at the time of the crime this defense was thrown out by the presiding judge and takahiro was ruled mentally fit later take Hero's defense claimed

33:03 that takahiro's murder was in fact a form of assisted suicide and that his victims fully consented they even suggested that when his victims struggled against the Strangling it was merely a reflex and that the victims hadn't necessarily changed their mind but takahiro had already negated his defense in his testimony to the police and when he was questioned Again by the prosecution he reiterated that none of his victims had consented to being killed eventually the prosecutors demanded the death penalty and takahiro was unbothered he reportedly said I humbly admit my guilt and will accept the punishment he even apologized I don't know if I would call it an apology but this is what he said to the families of his victims in court I am very sorry for taking their lives so easily after this apology he pled guilty on all counts and stated that he would not appeal the Court's final decision in December 2020 takahiro shirashi was sentenced to death

34:13 in the aftermath of talk hero sentencing the questions raised about the dangers of social media especially as regards to its use amongst people with mental illness still remained everyone wanted to know how vulnerable members of society could be protected from predators like takahiro the Japanese government and several social networking Services vowed to push for more support for young people with mental illnesses Japan's Ministry of Education culture Sports Science and Technology yeah it's just one Ministry made the decision to fund online support Counseling in some areas across Japan utilizing popular chat apps such as line the government also decided to improve education for elementary school students revolving around social media its use and interpersonal relationships in Japan these policies have since been adopted in other countries with time Twitter began linking users who searched for Deaf related hashtags to non-profit organizations specializing in suicide

35:18 prevention today takahiro shirashi is still on death row Japan has a law that disallows inmate or the general public from knowing the day they will die it may take a while but takahiro is bound to face Justice in the meantime one can only hope that he is the last of his kind but we live in a crazy world with a lot of volatile characters the best we can do for ourselves and the ones we love especially the ones we know might eat health is to offer our kindness first thanks for tuning in to Twisted Minds that was the case of takahiro shirashi and why don't you go ahead and click on one of the two videos on your screen for another one of our videos

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "The Twitter Killer (True Crime Documentary)"?

James (Guest), Takahiro Shiraishi (Guest).

What is "The Twitter Killer (True Crime Documentary)" about?

The documentary explores the unsettling case of Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the "Twitter Killer," who shocked Japan with his gruesome crimes despite appearing as a typical, well-adjusted youth. As the narrative unfolds, it delves into his background, the chilling indifference he displayed during his trial, and the emotional turmoil faced by the families of his victims, revealing a stark…

What is mentioned in this Twisted Minds episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Takahiro Shiraishi, Twitter, Mizuki Miyura, Japan, Aiko Tamura, Shogo Nishinaka. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Twitter Killer (True Crime Documentary)"?

The episode runs 36 min; the transcript is about 5,733 words in 34 timestamped sections.

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