A twisted serial killer has been arrested in Japan, after the dismembered remains of at least nine people were found in his home. Takahiro Shraishi is attracting worldwide media attention, not only because he dismembered nearly a dozen people, but for the manner by which he acquired his victims. Will other ambitious serial killers follow in his footsteps?Many serial killers prey on victims that tend to slip through the cracks of justice -- i.e. prostitutes, runaways and others who live risky lifestyles. Gary Ridgway, Joel Rifkin, The Long Island Serial Killer -- all of these guys preferred sex workers, and claimed dozens upon dozens of lives. Takahiro Shiraishi, on the other hand, found another group of people that can be considered vulnerable: Depressed and suicidal women.
The 27-year-old Japanese man used Twitter to seek out women who suffered from depression, and who wanted to commit suicide. He gained the trust of these unwitting victims, before successfully getting them inside his home -- where they were sexually assaulted, murdered and dismembered. He used more than one Twitter handle, but most prolifically the account titled "Hanging Pro," which he used to talk about "helping" people who are feeling suicidal.
"I want to help people who are really in pain. Please DM me anytime."
"Bullying is everywhere, in school and at work. There must be many people in society who are suffering after attempting suicides, though their cases are not reported in the news. I want to help such people."
Through his use of Twitter, at least eight suicidal women ended up raped, murdered and cut into pieces. He is also accused of killing one of the girls' boyfriends. The Japanese man reportedly disposed of dismembered body parts, little by little, by throwing it away in the trash with cat litter. However, some reports claim that he kept more than 200 human bones as trophies of his murders.
Had authorities not arrested Shraishi, he would have certainly killed more women. With each murder he got away with committing, he was brazen to kill more and more -- with very little cool down time between each murder. It's possible that he could have killed several dozen women had his social media behavior not attracted the attention of police -- and one victim's determined brother.