Man arrested for murdering grandparents
TSUWANO, Shimane -- A 23-year-old man has been arrested for killing his grandparents at their home, police said.
Naoki Arita, 23, from Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture, stands accused of murder for allegedly killing his 81-year-old grandfather, Takashi, and 76-year-old grandmother, Tsurumi.
According to police, Naoki's 17-year-old brother found the bodies of his grandparents in the backyard of their home upon returning at around 6:55 p.m. on Thursday.
The upper body of Takashi was charred, with two knives stuck in his back, while another knife was found nearby. Tsurumi's body sustained stab wounds to the neck and two garden cutters were found near her feet.
Later at around 10 p.m. the same day, Naoki Arita turned himself in at Izumo Police Station and confessed to killing his grandparents. Police arrested him on charges of murder.
The grandparents were living with their 50-year-old son, Shigeru, and three grandsons -- Naoki and his 21-year-old and 17-year-old brothers.
Naoki had been living outside of Shimane Prefecture while he was at university but later returned to his family home. He was not regularly employed, according to neighbors.
A 65-year-old female neighbor said, "I met Tsurumi around noon yesterday and we were saying we would talk again. She and her husband were on good terms, as was their family."
A male relative of the family said, "I saw the family planting rice together recently. No one would have held a grudge against them."
The family's home is in a mountainous area dotted by private houses near the border with Yamaguchi Prefecture.
