白石被告「殺害承諾ない」　弁護人主張を否定―初の被告人質問・座間９遺体公判

　神奈川県座間市のアパートで１０～２０代の男女９人の遺体が見つかった事件で、強盗・強制性交殺人罪などに問われた白石隆浩被告（２９）の裁判員裁判第４回公判が７日、東京地裁立川支部（矢野直邦裁判長）であり、初の被告人質問が行われた。被告は最初の被害者となった同県厚木市の女性＝当時（２１）＝について、「（殺害の）承諾はなかった」と述べた。
　質問は、承諾殺人を主張する弁護側から始まったが、被告は「答えるつもりはありません」と述べ、５分ほどで休廷。再開後は検察側の質問に移る異例の展開となった。
　質問に対し白石被告は、２０１７年８月上旬に女性とツイッターを介して接触し、女性から現金約５０万円の振り込みを受けた後に殺害を決意したことを認めた。殺害の理由は金を得るためだったとした。
　事件当日は、女性から「死にたい」などの発言はなかったと説明。殺害後は「継続的に女性を強姦（ごうかん）したり金を取ろうと考えていた」と話した。
　上下緑色の作業着姿の白石被告は、質問に終始はっきりとした口調で答えた。目を閉じていたのか、検察側から「目を開いて話をしてほしい」と促される場面もあった。（2020/10/07-19:17）

The 29-year-old suspect of the alleged murders of nine people in the city of Zama in the eastern Japan prefecture of Kanagawa said Wednesday that "there was no consent" from the first victim to killing her, a remark contradicting a claim by his defense team.
   Takahiro Shiraishi made the statement during the fourth hearing of his lay-judge trial at the Tachikawa branch of Tokyo District Court. The woman was from the city of Atsugi, Kanagawa, and 21 years old at the time.
   In the incident, the bodies of nine young missing people were found from Shiraishi's apartment in Zama in 2017. They were from Tokyo and the prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, Gunma and Fukushima. Shiraishi was indicted in September 2018 on charges including robbery, murder and forcible intercourse.
   In the fourth hearing, the accused faced questioning for the first time. The session started with questions from his defense team, which has claimed that Shiraishi should be charged with murders with consent from the victims. He, however, said, "I have no intention of answering any questions." The court adjourned after five minutes.
   After the hearing resumed, the prosecution side questioned Shiraishi. He said that he contacted the Atsugi woman via Twitter in early August 2017 and that he decided to kill her after she remitted around 500,000 yen to him. He said that he killed her because he wanted the money.