妻子６人殺害、３６歳男に死刑判決　「強固な殺意、残虐な犯行」―水戸地裁

　茨城県日立市の県営アパートで２０１７年、妻子６人を殺害したとして、殺人や非現住建造物等放火などの罪に問われた無職小松博文被告（３６）の裁判員裁判の判決が３０日、水戸地裁であり、結城剛行裁判長は「強固な殺意に基づく非常に危険かつ残虐な犯行」と述べ、求刑通り死刑を言い渡した。
　結城裁判長は、争点だった被告の刑事責任能力の有無について、被告が思い悩んだ上で事件を起こし、事件後には出頭して具体的に供述したことを踏まえ、「自らが及ぼうとする行為の意味や内容を十分理解していた」と指摘。被告に精神障害はなく、完全な責任能力があったと認定した。
　その上で、離婚を求められたことで妻の殺害を決意し、残される子どももかわいそうだから殺害するという動機は「身勝手で自己中心的な考え方」と指摘。「６人もの命が奪われた結果は重大で、死刑を回避すべき事情はない」と結論付けた。（2021/06/30-19:43）

Mito District Court on Wednesday sentenced a 36-year-old man to death for murdering his wife and five children at the family's apartment in the city of Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, in 2017.
   The death sentence for the man, Hirobumi Komatsu, had been requested by public prosecutors.
   According to the indictment, Komatsu stabbed his wife, then 33, their eldest daughter and son, then 11 and 7, respectively, and the three younger children with a kitchen knife at around 4:40 a.m. on Oct. 6, 2017. He then scattered gasoline around the apartment entrance and set it on fire.
   In his lay judge trial, the main issue was whether he had capacity to take responsibility for his actions. The defense asked for acquittal or a reduced sentence, insisting that he was mentally incompetent or had only diminished capacity as he could barely eat and sleep at the time after being told by his wife of her wish to divorce.
   Meanwhile, the prosecution claimed that the man was fully competent, noting that he prepared the knife in advance and committed the crime when his wife and children were asleep.