Notorious Japanese murderer Issei Sagawa, popularly known as the ‘Kobe Cannibal’ who infamously murdered and ate a female Dutch student, has reportedly died aged 73, find out about his treacherous crimes, cause of death, and more
Issei Sagawa, the Japanese cannibal managed to walk free of his crimes and escaped being jailed despite killing and raping a Dutch woman.
Japanese Murderer Issei Sagawa aka Kobe Cannibal Cause Of Death, Story, Case Details, Age 2022
"Kobe Cannibal" dies of pneumonia.
Issei Sagawa, a Japanese man who killed and ate a Dutch student in Paris but was never jailed, has died aged 73https://t.co/CXX65ZdKm6 pic.twitter.com/CCRVQR5mZm
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 2, 2022
Issei Sagawa, known as the Japanese cannibal who murdered and ate Dutch student Renee Hartevelt in 1981, has died of pneumonia.
Despite admitting his crimes, due to legal loopholes between countries, he was allowed to walk free.
Turns out death takes all prisoners, eventually. pic.twitter.com/pMrdr5giOn
— Adrian (Coffeehouse Crime) (@coffeehcrime) December 2, 2022
Besides walking free of his crimes, Sagawa showed no remorse and even went on to capitalize on his new-found fame by writing a book, appearing on several interviews and featuring in a documentary.
Issei Sagawa Cause Of Death
Sagawa is reportedly died of pneumonia on November 24. His younger brother revealed that only relatives attended the funeral and there was no public ceremony.
Sagawa the ‘Kobe Cannibal’ Infamous Crimes
The brutal incident occurred in 1981, when Sagawa was studying in Paris. The would-be murderer seemingly invited a Dutch student named Renee Hartevelt to his apartment.
However, to her horror, Sagawa shot her in the neck and then proceeded to rape her bloody corpse. He then performed cannibalism by consuming parts of the victim’s body over the course of several days.
According to the reports, Sagawa initially tried to throw away and get rid of Hartevelt’s remains in the Bois de Boulogne park. However, this did not work as police arrested him several days later after which he eventually confessed to his crime.
Unfair Trials
Following the shocking incident, French medical experts however, deemed Sagawa mentally unfit for trial in 1983. As such, he was only held in a psychiatric institution before eventually being deported to Japan the next year.
Hartevelt’s devastated family persistently pushed for Sagawa’s prosecution in Japan to ensure that “the murderer would never go free.” The Japanese authorities finally ruled Sagawa as ‘sane’ when he arrived. The authorities stated that Sagawa’s only problem was a “character anomaly” which did not require hospitalization at all.
However, when the Japanese authorities opened the case, they were reportedly unable to obtain his case files from the French. The French authorities had stated that the case closed. This ended up in a shocking turn of events, which saw Sagawa walk free from his crimes.
‘In The Fog’
Sagawa notably even wrote a novel-like memoir titled ‘In The Fog’ where he narrated all the details of his crime. The vicious killer did not even try to hide his crime and instead capitalized on it.
Japanese novelist Juro Kara also wrote about Sagawa and his crimes in his novel ‘Letter from Sagawa-kun’. The book won the country’s most prestigious literary prize, the Akutagawa award in 1982.
Sagawa, enjoyed a roller coaster of fame, appearing in several interviews for domestic and international media, got featured in a magazine for his paintings of naked women and even starred in a pornographic film.
He even produced a manga comic book showcasing his crimes in graphic detail. The murder was also the subject of various references by rock bands like ‘The Rolling Stones’ and ‘The Stranglers’, in songs.
A Movie And Interviews
Despite his horrendous crimes, Sagawa, who lived with his brother in his final years, confined to a wheelchair showed no remorse or reform. During an interview back in 2013, Sagawa notoriously looked at posters of Japanese women and eerily remarked:
“I think they would taste delicious.” He also told the outlet that he had been “obsessed with cannibalism. My desire to eat a woman had changed into an obligation.”
The murderer recounted the details of his crime in several interviews and also in a 2017 documentary titled ‘Caniba’. The directors of the film apparently spent several months with Sagawa and his brother.One of the co-directors shared how they later felt “conflicted” about the experience, stating
We were disgusted, fascinated, we wanted to understand
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