ニッキー・ミナージュの日本公演とはね。芸能ニュースや歌番組で彼女の名前を聞かない日がないぐらい時のミュージシャンだね。
****
Man in custody after DCU student's death
The Irish Times - Saturday, May 26, 2012
ROWAN GALLAGHER and DAVID McNEILL in Tokyo
A MAN WAS being questioned by police in Japan about the death of a Dublin City University student in Tokyo.
Nicola Furlong (21), from Curracloe, Co Wexford, was found dead in a hotel room hours after attending a concert by the rapper Nicki Minaj. Investigating police have described the circumstances surrounding her death as suspicious.
Ms Furlong, a third-year international business student at DCU, was living in Japan while participating in a year-long study-abroad programme.
She had been due to return to Ireland in the coming weeks and had travelled to Tokyo for the night with friends.
Japanese state broadcaster NHK says she was studying at Takasaki City University of Economics, which is located in rural Gunma Prefecture, about an hour from Tokyo.
Ms Furlong is believed to have gone to Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, a business and shopping hub in central Tokyo, after midnight with the man who is being questioned by police, and another friend.
The unidentified man had been a guest at the hotel since Tuesday.
Staff at the hotel front desk took a call from the man at about 4am local time informing them Ms Furlong was ill.
“We called an ambulance and she was taken to hospital,” confirmed hotel spokeswoman Junko Saito.
Ms Furlong was declared dead about an hour later.
The man reportedly voluntarily went with the police and is being questioned by Shinjuku detectives.
The police have declined to officially comment on the details of the case.
The Irish Embassy in Tokyo said yesterday that it was in contact with Ms Furlong’s family via the Department of Foreign Affairs and was offering consular assistance.
“The death is still very much under investigation. In the meantime, the family has expressed their strong desire for privacy,” an embassy official said.
The Furlong family operates a bar and lounge in Curracloe.
A postmortem was carried out yesterday in Tokyo. Pending the results, Ms Furlong’s remains are expected to be flown back to Ireland next week.
Ms Furlong was due to return home to Ireland in the coming weeks to take up summer work before returning to DCU for the final year of her course.
Two men arrested after death of Irish student in Tokyo
Irish Examiner - Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 01:50 PM
Police in Japan have arrested two American men in connection with the death of an Irish student.
Twenty-one-year-old Nicola Furlong was found dead in a hotel room in Tokyo on Thursday morning. It is understood she had been strangled.
It is understood Ms Furlong was on a student exchange programme from Dublin City University.
Local reports suggest that she and a female friend were attending a concert on Wednesday night, but missed their train home.
It is believed the girls then met two American men at the train station, who said they could return to their hotel rather than wait a number of hours at the station for the next available train.
All four are believed to have returned to the hotel where they had a drink in the bar.
At around 4am, staff were alerted to medical difficulties with Ms Furlong.
Emergency services arrived and while it is believed she was still alive in the ambulance, she later died in hospital.
Police in Toyko have arrested two American men for questioning.
The results from Ms Furlong's post mortem examination and toxicology results are due to be released on Monday.
Mystery as Irish exchange student Nicola Furlong found dead in Tokyo hotel room
By Mark Hilliard, Luke Byrne and Brendan Furlong
Irish Independent - Friday May 25 2012
A YOUNG Irish student has been found dead in a hotel in Japan but her exact cause of death remains unclear.
Nicola Furlong (21), a Dublin City University student, travelled to Tokyo on an exchange programme last October and was studying in the city.
However, she was found dead in a hotel room yesterday after attending a concert.
There was no indication last night of how she died and her family must await the results of a post-mortem, which is due to be carried out in Tokyo today.
Her remains are expected to be returned within the next week.
Ms Furlong, from Curracloe, Co Wexford, is understood to have attended a concert by American rapper Nicki Minaj in the city a short time before she died.
Her parents Andrew and Angie and her siblings were attempting to come to terms with the news which they only received yesterday morning.
"The parents don't even know (the cause of death) yet; they are waiting on the post-mortem," a source close to the family said.
"It's just a complete mystery. It's a shock that she is dead at 21 but not even to have a reason -- they don't even know yet."
Nicola Furlong was in her third year of an international business and languages degree and was due to return home shortly.
Camogie
She was studying in Tokyo for the year but was not believed to have been working in the city.
It is understood that she travelled to Tokyo with a fellow DCU student on the Erasmus programme.
Ms Furlong's family are well-known for operating the Roadhouse Bar in Curracloe, a popular social spot in the area.
They are also involved in horse racing and with the Shelmaliers Ladies Football Club where Nicola played camogie.
Friends and club members have been left in a state of shock with the news of her death.
"We are devastated for Nicola's family who have just lost a loved one in the prime of her life," said one.
"She was a lovely young girl who had a full life ahead of her. She was really interested in sport.
"No doubt she was looking forward to becoming involved with her local club and friends on her return home. That is not to be.
"We are all left shocked and devastated."
Police in Toyko are investigating Nicola's death but could not be contacted for comment last night.
A DCU course co-ordinator is currently in Japan liaising with the authorities.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of the situation and was offering consular assistance to the family.
A neighbour said last night: "It's just desperate. We are all here to support the family through this devastating news.
"This is a well-known and respected family. What can we say but pray for the family at this moment and time."
U.S. men held over alleged rape, Irish woman's death
Saturday, May 26, 2012 Kyodo
Two American men were arrested Saturday over the death of a female Irish exchange student in a Shinjuku Ward hotel, Tokyo police said.
The woman, identified as 21-year-old Nicola Furlong, was found unconscious in a hotel room early Thursday morning and was later confirmed dead at a hospital. An autopsy indicated she may have been strangled.
One of the two suspects, a 19-year-old who identified himself as a musician, was in the room with the woman when hotel staff went up to probe a complaint about loud noise.
The two men were charged with indecent assault on the student's 21-year-old female friend, who was in a separate room with the other man, but police suspect they were involved in the student's death, investigative sources said.
The woman was attending Takasaki City University of Economics in Gunma Prefecture.
She arrived with her friend in Tokyo on Wednesday afternoon, and after catching a concert at a club in Koto Ward the two men approached them and invited them to a meal, the sources said.
After deciding to take a cab to the hotel, where both men were staying, the two allegedly raped the Irish woman's drunk friend inside the taxi, they said.
Upon arriving at the hotel, the musician paired off with the Irish woman and the other two went to a different room.
A guest complained about a loud noise coming from one of the rooms around 3:20 a.m. Thursday, and a hotel employee who checked the room found the Irish woman lying unconscious on the floor with the man standing nearby, according to the sources.
There were no signs that anyone else had entered the room, they added.
Irish woman found dead; 2 U.S. men held
Jiji-Daily Yomiuri
(May. 27, 2012)
An Irish woman has been found dead in a Tokyo hotel, and police Saturday arrested two American men on suspicion of sexually assaulting another woman who was her friend.
Police are questioning the men, whom they suspect know how the Irish woman died.
Around 3:20 a.m. on Thursday, a hotel employee found the woman lying dead in a hotel in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. She was identified as Nicola Furlong, 21, a student at Takasaki City University of Economics in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture.
There were signs she might have been strangled.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested two male American suspects--a musician, 19, and a dancer, 23--on suspicion of sexually assaulting Furlong's friend and fellow student, 21.
The two are suspected of touching the lower part of the drunken woman's body in a taxi headed for the hotel around 1 a.m. Thursday. They denied the charge and said they knew nothing about Furlong's death, the MPD said.
Two US men held in Japan after Irish student's death
Saturday, May 26, 2012 -AFP通信
TOKYO — Tokyo police arrested two American men on Saturday as part of an investigation into the suspicious death of a female Irish exchange student, reports said.
One of the men was with Nicola Furlong, 21, when she was found dead early Thursday in a Tokyo hotel room, national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News said. An autopsy showed she may have been strangled, Kyodo reported.
The men, aged 19 and 23, were detained on suspicion of giving alcoholic drinks to Furlong's friend, also a 21-year-old Irish woman, and then groping her inside a taxi, Kyodo said.
Furlong was studying in Takasaki city about 95 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Tokyo, Kyodo said, citing police sources.
The two women were visiting Tokyo Wednesday night to see a concert, and were approached by the men, Kyodo said.
The four of them later went to the hotel where the men were staying. Furlong went into the room of the 19-year-old American, while the other woman went with the other man, Kyodo said.
In the early hours of Thursday, a hotel guest complained about a loud noise from one of the rooms.
A hotel employee went to the room and found Furlong on the floor lying near the bed and the US teen standing nearby, Kyodo said.
アイルランドと日本とアメリカの３国間での人間・家族模様。日本の代名詞・東京で、アメリカの人気ミュージシャンＮＭコンサートが絡み、しかも業界でちょっと名前がしられたＮＭのバックダンサーが容疑者の一人。まだ事件が起こったばかりで余波は小さい。関係者は日本警察の動きを見守っている状態だ。だがニュースが広がり、国際的に注目されるのではないか。日本の警察・行政の外国人への対応や情報公開・報道の仕方や留学生の安全性、日米文化論、アメリカの黒人問題、アメリカラッパーの若者文化論等、事件が意外な方向に向かう気配を感じる。国際間やアメリカ国内で大きな議論が今後起こると予想される。
*****
Police: 2 Americans Arrested After Death Of Irish Woman In Tokyo Hotel Room
Sun 11:15 AM, May 27, 2012A Reporter: CNN, Posted by Chelsey Moran
Tokyo (CNN) -- Police have detained two American men as part of an investigation into the strangling death of an Irish exchange student in Tokyo, Japanese authorities said Sunday.
Nicola Furlong, 21, was found dead in a hotel room with one of the men, according to Tokyo police.
The men were not charged in Furlong's death. Rather, police arrested the men on suspicion of improperly touching Furlong's friend in a taxi early Thursday, as the four headed back to the hotel, authorities said.
Authorities would not say how the four ended up together, but Japanese media reported that the women were attending a Nicki Minaj concert in Tokyo when they met the men and decided to accompany them to their hotel rooms.
Police said both men in custody were entertainers -- a 19-year-old musician and a 23-year-old dancer -- but did not say if they were part of Minaj's entourage.
The hotel staff found Furlong unconscious after customers complained of loud noises coming from the room, police said.
When the staff got to the room, they found her in the room with the 19-year-old and called the fire department, Tokyo authorities said.
The death is believed to be as a result of suffocation by cervical compression, police said.
Furlong's parish priest, the Rev. Jim Fitzpatrick, described her as an "outgoing, bubbly sort of girl and very well liked," and said she was looking forward to coming home after having been in Japan since October.
"Everyone's a little devastated," in her close-knit rural community, which has only 300 or 400 families, he said.
"When the death of a young person happens, everybody knows and is in some way involved or concerned," he said. "When it happens in tragic circumstances and so far away from home, it has a double impact on people."
Her parents last spoke to her the day she died, he said.
She was "very close" to her siblings, particularly her sister Andrea, Fitzpatrick said.
The U.S. State Department confirmed the arrests, but could not provide additional details, citing privacy concerns.
An exchange student from Ireland died on May 24.
We extend to her our heartfelt condolences.
We’re terribly shocked to be informed of this tragedy and definitely protest the violence that took her life.
Takasaki City University of Economics
この記事には二人の容疑者の名前が出ている。また気になることに、見知らぬ男の泊まるホテルについていった被害者の女性たちを非難している。だが、もし容疑者が食事を誘い、アメリカで流行しているデイトレイプドラッグを、隙をついてドリンクに混ぜて被害者の女性たちに飲ませ、強姦を目的に意識朦朧にさせて、タクシーでホテルに連れ込んだとしたらどうだろうか。その可能性は十分考えられる。その点を警察は追求している。被害者はアイルランドの両親とも電話で会話をよく交わすほどの家族と親密関係を保ち、交換留学するほど教養ある女学生である。いくらなんでも見知らぬ男のホテルにホイホイついていくような尻軽女性たちとは到底考えられない。
＊＊＊＊
Americans James Blackston, Unnamed Teen, Arrested in Connection with Death of Nicola Furlong After Nicki Minaj Tokyo Concert
May 27, 2012 By Janet Shan | hinterlandgazette
TOP STORY: Two black Americans, one identified as dancer James Blackstone (James “King Tight” Blackstone or James Blackston), and another unnamed teen, (reported as Larry Perry) have been arrested in connection with the death of an Irish exchange student, Nicola Furlong, in Tokyo, Japan. Both men were reportedly arrested for fondling a friend of the victim in a taxi cab. It is not clear if the men were connected to rapper Nicki Minaj, whose concert Nicola Furlong had attended. The U.S. State Department confirmed that two Americans were arrested and a police investigation is underway. Nicola Furlong reportedly died from asphyxiation. Furlong, who attended Takasaki City University of Economics in Gunma Prefecture, died Thursday after spending a night in the Keio Plaza Hotel following the Nicki Minaj concert.
King Tight’s Twitter @kingtightbucc20 is no longer working nor can you view his profile on MySpace. Blackston has reportedly served as background dancer for Omarion and Marques Houston in Osaka. He supposedly appeared in music videos for the Black Eyed Peas, Chris Brown, and J. Lo. Here is a picture of James Blackston, AKA King Tight:
Dancer James Blackston, AKA King Tight, Being Held in Japan for Murder of Nicola Furlong (MySpace) One of the two suspects, a 19-year-old who identified himself as a musician, was in the room with the woman when hotel staff went up to probe a complaint about loud noise. The two men were charged with indecent assault on the student’s 21-year-old female friend, who was in a separate room with the other man, but police suspect they were involved in the student’s death, investigative sources said.
She arrived with her friend in Tokyo on Wednesday afternoon, and after catching a concert at a club in Koto Ward the two men approached them and invited them to a meal, the sources said. After deciding to take a cab to the hotel, where both men were staying, the two allegedly raped the Irish woman’s drunk friend inside the taxi, they said. Upon arriving at the hotel, the musician paired off with the Irish woman and the other two went to a different room. Source
Not to blame the victim, but going off to the room of a perfect stranger isn’t smart, no matter which country you are in. We have seen the tragic results such actions can have. Remember American teen Natalee Holloway, who mysteriously disappeared in Aruba after hooking up with Joran Van Der Sloot?
殺害された女性と行動を共にしていた女子学生の名前がでている。日本やアイルランドから出される記事が事件の報道のメインだ。アメリカのメディアは傍観している感がある。まだネット記事を除いて、４大ネットワークのお茶の間のテレビで報道される事件にはなっていない。
****
Nicola accused could now face death penalty
By Ken Foy, Crime correspondent, Herald.ie
Tuesday May 29 2012
The 19-year-old American musician who is suspected of strangling and sexually assaulting DCU student Nicola Furlong could receive the death penalty.
The teenage suspect named in local media reports as Larry Perry and his pal hip-hop dancer and rapper James Blackston (23) remain in police custody in Tokyo today where they are being held on holding charges of sexual assault against her pal, Sarah Maher (21).
Meanwhile it has been confirmed that Nicola's body will be brought home from Japan on Thursday to her heartbroken family in Curracloe, Co Wexford.
A family member said: "The fact that we are getting Nicola back so quickly is a great relief for the family.
"We had thought it may take weeks or months to get her back."
Nicola's funeral is expected to take place at the weekend. Her friend Sarah -- who was with her on the night that she was killed -- is expected to attend the ceremony.
Sarah's family have travelled to Japan and have been comforting the heartbroken student, who was studying business and Japanese with Nicola at DCU.
It is understood that Sarah has been able to give Japanese police crucial evidence about the events of last week that led to her pal's shocking death.
The police investigation is now believed to be focusing on whether the musicians had spiked the girls' drinks or plied them with strong alcohol.
Tokyo police yesterday said: "These two men allegedly took advantage of a female unable to resist due to the fact she was in a comatose state from a highly alcoholic beverage."
"On a taxi ride between Shibuya and Shinjuku, they took advantage of a woman by touching her body."
He added: "As that is an indecent act, they have been charged with quasi-forcible indecency."
ＮＭによれば、容疑者たちは当日のコンサーの舞台には立たず、関係者外ということだ。無垢をねらった野獣はファンの弱みをよく知っていて、ＮＭの名前を言葉巧みに使って軟派した模様。同じような手口で、強姦された被害者の日本女性が何人もいるのではないかと想像する。殺された彼女は果敢にも抵抗したのだろう。今回の殺人事件で、ついに強姦魔が捕まった。悲しい結末である。容疑者の顔写真をネットでみた。Ｙｏｕｔｕｂｅにもダンサーがどんな人物かがわかるビデオが出ている。とてもじゃないが欧州の女子学生が惚れこむほどの、女性にモテるタイプではないことが伺われる。
*****
Nicki Minaj pays tribute to Nicola killed after concert
By Independent.ie reporters
Thursday May 31 2012
HIP HOP star Nicki Minaj has paid tribute to DCU student Nicola Furlong who was found murdered in a Tokyo hotel after attending her concert in Japan last week.
The Wexford business student’s body was discovered just hours after she had watched the Starships hit-maker perform live at Zepp Toyko.
Minaj has taken to Twitter.com to express her sadness for Furlong, who was in Japan as an exchange student from Dublin City University and was expected to fly home in July.
Minaj wrote: "Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan. My love & prayers are with the family of Nicola Furlong."
She also tweeted a picture of Nicola (21) at a birthday and later corrected Perez Hilton who had claimed that the two American men under arrest in connection with the incident, were her backing dancers.
“My dancers had nothing to do with this tragedy. No one in my entourage was questioned or arrested. They all flew home from Japan.”
Nicola, described by her father Andrew as a ‘homebird’, sent a text to her mother in Co Wexford hours before her death as she attended the Nicki Minaj concert.
Her body arrived back in Ireland today as American dancer James Blackston and an unnamed 19-year-old musician continue to be held by police in Tokyo on charges of indecently assaulting her friend.
1-2
Nicola’s heartbroken mother Angela revealed: “She sent me a text message before the concert saying: ‘We put on our fake tan, all our shaving is done we are ready to go now mam, talk to you soon. Ten weeks and I’ll be back in Ireland’.
Mrs Furlong told the Irish Mirror that Nicola (21) said she was going to get invited to the US singer’s after-party.
She told of the family’s grief: “The news that your daughter is dead is very, very hard to accept. But the hardest of all was on the Saturday morning to hear what had actually happened to my baby. That was worse than actually hearing that she was dead.
“When we received the news that was worse. That was really, really, really worse.
“I knew there had been an accident and I hoped it was a car crash that she had been killed instantly. She was so tiny and it had given her a heart attack. Nobody would hurt my baby.”
Her heartbroken mother added: “She was my baby, she will always be my baby. She was beautiful inside and out. She loved her two sisters, her mam and her dad.”
She told how Nicola, the oldest in the family, guided her two sisters Andrea (18) and Hannah (12) and they would spend hours over cups of tea talking and talking.
Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail, Mrs Furlong said: “She loved life, she loved fashion. She was a girly girl. She was an amazing girl.”
It is understood that police in Japan are preparing to charge the unnamed 19-year-old musician with the sexual assault and killing of Nicola last Wednesday night at the Keio Plaza hotel.
Ms Furlong was studying at the Takasaki City University of Economics in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, about 95km northwest of Tokyo.
She and her friend went to Tokyo's Koto Ward for a concert on Wednesday night and were approached by the two men afterwards.
They had a meal together and then went to the hotel where the men were staying.
At around 3.20am on Thursday, a guest complained about a loud noise coming from one of the rooms.
A hotel employee went to the room and found Ms Furlong lying on the floor near the bed with the 19-year-old American man standing nearby.
Nicki Minaj Denies Dancer Involvement In Fan Murder
'Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan,' Minaj tweets Thursday of Nicola Furlong's death.
May 31 2012 3:06 PM EDT
By Nadeska Alexis mtv.com/news
Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday Tour touched down in Tokyo, Japan, last week, and following one of the rapper's colorful stage shows, things took a devastating turn: One of Minaj's fans was murdered after attending the May 25 concert.
On Thursday (May 31), Minaj took to Twitter to send condolences and deny allegations that her dancer was involved in the incident.
"Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan. My love & prayers are with the family of Nicola Furlong," Nicki wrote.
The 21-year-old fan, a foreign exchange student from Dublin City University in Ireland, was found dead in a Tokyo hotel room after attending Minaj's show at Zepp Tokyo a few hours earlier.
An early report on PerezHilton.com stated that Furlong and her friend Sarah Maher linked up with Minaj's backup dancer James Blackston and another musician, Larry Perry, after the show, heading to the men's hotel rooms. Furlong was later found strangled to death in the room, while Maher reported that she was sexually assaulted by both men in a taxi.
After sending her condolences to the slain fan's family, Minaj addressed rumors that her dancer was involved, tweeting directly at the celebrity gossip blogger. "My dancers had nothing to do w/this tragedy. No one in my entourage was questioned or arrested. They all flew home from Japan," she wrote. "That person on your [site] is NOT my dancer. We do NOT know the men in custody. Too much misleading information."
According to IrishCentral, Tokyo police have released a statement confirming that they arrested two American men in connection with the crime. James Blackston, 26, and an unidentified 19-year-old have been taken into custody. "These two men allegedly took advantage of a female unable to resist due to the fact she was in a comatose state from a highly alcoholic beverage," the report states, adding, "As that is an indecent act, they have been charged with quasi forcible indecency."
The police also confirm Maher's story of being harassed in the taxi, noting, "On a taxi ride between Shibuya and Shinjuku, they took advantage of a woman by touching her body."
Furlong's body is expected to arrive in her hometown of Curracloe, Ireland, on Thursday, where she will be laid to rest. The 21-year-old was studying at the Takasaki City University of Economics in Takasaki, Japan.
Friend has little memory of night Nicola Furlong was killed
Student pal will return for funeral
By Mark Hilliard Ｉndependent.ie
Thursday May 31 2012
THE Irish girl who was with Nicola Furlong on the night she was killed in Tokyo, Japan, has little memory of what happened, the Irish Independent has learned.
Ms Furlong (21) was found dead in a Tokyo hotel room hours after attending a concert with her friend last week.
Two Americans -- James Blackston (23) and an unnamed 19-year-old musician -- have been arrested by police and charged with assaulting her friend.
The young woman -- who was also studying in Japan with Ms Furlong -- has been helping the Japanese police with their investigation.
In an interview with the Irish Independent, Ms Furlong's father, Andrew, said the Japanese authorities had to be persuaded to allow the friend return home to Ireland to attend his daughter's funeral.
The young woman has had trouble recalling much of the events of the night and may have to return to Japan as the investigation continues.
"There were thoughts that they (the girl and her mother) might not be able to get out but they are allowing her out because her best friend is being buried and she would like to be at the funeral," Mr Furlong said.
"It could have been her just the same as it was Nicola; she was there when whatever happened, happened. She is just happy to be coming home.
"She probably witnessed (much of what happened) but she can't remember it for some reason.
HUG
"They are trying to get everything they can before they let her home and she may have to go back, we don't know.
"I will be talking to her and I will give her a big, massive hug."
Mr Furlong explained that his daughter's remains will arrive home today and that the family will then decide on when to bury her in her native Curracloe, Co Wexford.
There will be a guard of honour for the popular DCU student who was one year from completing her business and languages degree.
Her family have selected a number of personal songs to play but are keeping it to themselves ahead of the service.
"They are giving us time to get over this first and the next step is to liaise with (the police) over in Japan," said Mr Furlong who praised the Irish embassy for its ongoing assistance.
The family is already preparing themselves for whatever details might emerge should anyone be charged with Ms Furlong's murder.
"When the trial comes along I will be out there with a few of my friends and I have no doubt that a lot of things will be said as it is with Michaela Harte.
"We are expecting to hear all sorts of things but we want to get over the funeral first before we get into that."
Mr Furlong said he last spoke to his daughter on the day before the concert by American rapper Nicki Minaj.
"She joked that next time we saw her would be in the papers drinking champagne with Nicki Minaj; she didn't know that the next time we would see her it would be in the papers as a victim."
日本のケースからして、一人の強姦殺人罪で死刑が求刑されることはないだろう。ましてや判決が。
****
Pink coffin is draped in Irish flag as Nicola Furlong’s body arrives home from Japan
Two American suspects could face death sentence in Tokyo
By PATRICK COUNIHAN, IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Friday, June 1, 2012, 7:38 AMUpdated Friday, June 1, 2012, 7:38 AM
Murdered in Tokyo - 21-year-old Wexford student Nicola Furlong
A heartbroken Wexford family have welcomed their murdered daughter home from Japan, her pink coffin draped in the Irish tricolour.
Nicola Furlong’s remains arrived at the family home in the village of Curracloe on Thursday night as two Americans arrested for her murder await a possible death sentence in Tokyo.
The 21-year-old exchange student was due to return from the Far East in July. Instead her family brought her coffin home from Dublin Airport via a Gorey funeral home on Thursday.
Neighbors and friends tried to console her parents as local curate Dr Jim Fitzpatrick received the body as hundreds lined the road leading to the Furlong household.
Her uncle Denis Corrigan spoke to the media as the body arrived.
“The family is in total shock, for on seeing the coffin the significance of what has happened has really hit home,” he said.
“We’ve had wonderful support from everyone which we so much appreciated. It’s been a difficult week and will be even more difficult over the coming days. We’re glad to have Nicola home with us.”
Nicola was found dead in a Tokyo hotel room after attending a Nicki Minaj concert with an Irish friend.
The rapper has since tweeted her support and sympathy for Nicola’s family after the tragedy which befell the two Irish girls.
They had missed the last train home to their dormitory, an hour from the Japanese capital, and were befriended at the train station by the two Americans.
Hotel workers went to one of the American’s room in the early hours of the morning after reports of a loud noise. They found Nicola dead and her friend in a serious condition.
The Irish Examiner reports that the two Americans have been charged with sexual offences against the other Wexford woman and are being questioned about Nicola’s death.
18歳の実妹の弔辞でもわかるように、亡きNicola Furlongさんは活発な金髪美人で、楽しいことが大好きな誰からも愛されるタイプであったことが伺える。
****
Funeral mass hears how Nicola Furlong’s jigsaw of life will never be completed
Church packed as Tokyo murder victim laid to rest in pink coffin
By PATRICK COUNIHAN ,IrishCentral Staff Writer
Monday, June 4, 2012, 7:34
Nicola Furlong's funeral in Curracloe, County Wexford=pic
Mourners cried openly as Nicola Furlong’s younger sister told them how ‘the jigsaw of her life would never be finished’ after her horrific murder in Tokyo.
Nicola was found dead and an Irish student friend in a critical condition in a Japanese hotel room two weeks ago.
Two Americans, who befriended the girls after a Nicki Minaj concert, are currently awaiting trial for her murder and the assault on the second girl.
Hundreds of mourners packed St Margaret’s Church in Nicola’s home village of Curracloe in Wexford on Sunday as her heartbroken family said their goodbyes.
Andrea, her 18-year-old sister, told the congregation: “It’s not goodbye. It’s see you later.”
Talking of her sister, who was in Japan on a college exchange programme, Andrea added: “I was Nicola’s big little sister. We were like “terrible twins”.
“Nic truly was a ditsy blonde. She would daydream about her future as a WAG to a famous footballer and that would be Danny [her boyfriend, striker with Wexford Youths].
“She would dream how she would have a mansion and that I could have an entire floor of it to myself. Nic would talk about us in our 70s and how we would still be able to party and attract all the good looking guys even though we would be using zimmer frames.
“There are no words in the dictionary to describe my sister, best friend, and rock. In time, I hope, my pain will ease.”
Nicola was buried in a pink coffin in St Margaret’s church, just yards from the family’s bungalow on the edge of the village.
The Irish Examiner reports that local priest Fr Jim Fitzpatrick told mourners: “If someone tells you they have an answer to this, they are lying. People are full of sadness and despair.
“Nicola’s life was God-given and she represented everything that was good, wholesome, and lovely.
“She had so much ability, energy and charisma, but her life was tragically and violently cut short. We are grieving what might have been, and what should have been, in her precious life.”
実父が友人とともに事実解明のために４日間滞在予定で来日するらしい。高経大には立ち寄らないとのこと。アイルランドの大使館員も他の記事から活発に援助していることがわかる。交換留学協定を結んでいるＤＣＵ大学の学生が留学時に起きた不幸である。高経大にはなんら責任はないが、その父親に対して来日の際、ささやかでいいから、何か心温まることが出来ないのかとふと思う。彼女と触れ合った学生たちの思い出集を作成して手渡すなんてのもいい。実娘を失った親は教室内外で彼女をめぐって起こった些細な出来事なら、なんでも知りたいと思うだろう。また今回の事件でＤＣＵの将来の留学生たちは、高経大での海外体験に大きな不安を感じているに違いない。大学側も無関係を装っているのではなく、誠意があることを示すべきだろう。
****
Nicola Furlong: Murdered student’s boyfriend tells of his pain as her dad heads to Japan
Wednesday June 06 2012, Independent.ie
By Mark Hilliard
Danny Furlong and his girlfriend Nicola Furlong=pic
THE distraught boyfriend of Nicola Furlong has spoken of his heartbreak for the first time as her father prepared to fly to Japan to appeal to police for answers.
Danny Furlong (22) told the Irish Independent that Nicola's homecoming next month should have been the "happiest day of our lives".
Instead, the 21-year-old was found dead on the floor of a Tokyo hotel room last month following a night out with a friend at a Nicki Minaj concert.
"I always said that the day she was home would have been the happiest day of both of our lives," said Danny, a promising young footballer, last night, adding that the couple had planned to go on a sun holiday together.
"To be honest it's been by far the worst two weeks of my life. It has turned my whole world upside down."
Danny helped carry Nicola's pink coffin to the church in Wexford for her funeral Mass last Sunday.
Tomorrow, her father Andrew will travel to Japan for four days after being asked by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
The family hope that the visit will shed some light on the circumstances surrounding the death of the 21-year-old business and language student.
Two men have been arrested and charged with assault in relation to a separate incident in the run-up to Ms Furlong's mysterious death.
Last night, her boyfriend Danny reflected on how he heard that she had died.
"To me she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and I was so lucky to be with her," he said.
Mr Furlong recalled the last contact he had with her, just hours before her death, saying: "I remember she wrote to me just before she went to Nicki Minaj and she said that she loved me and that when she got back to her apartment she would write to me.
"I didn't sleep at all that night. I just kept checking my phone to see if there was a text from her. The next thing I remember was my door opening and my mam shouting at me. She sat on my bed. I told her to tell me what was wrong.
"For the first few hours I was in bits. I was crying and I had to ring someone. I had to ask was she actually gone.
1-2
"Even about four or five hours later I remember ringing Nicola's mam and I said, 'She isn't actually gone, is she?' She was my whole world -- and it ended."
The young couple met through mutual friends on a night out about three years ago, when Ms Furlong was doing her Leaving Cert.
"She was a bit shy and it took me a while to get talking to her," he said.
Mr Furlong said: "We planned first of all to go on holiday when she got back. One of her best friends was going to Italy in September and we wanted to visit her.
"Her life (plan) was that I was going to be a famous footballer and she would be the 'WAG'," he joked.
"To be honest I haven't even thought about tomorrow. It's tough enough just waking up and the thought of another long day, let alone thinking about the future."
Ms Furlong's father Andrew is due to leave for Tokyo tomorrow with another family member and stay for four days.
During that time he will give a victim-impact statement and attempt to uncover more details surrounding the death of his daughter.
"We are going to write a list of questions that we need answered; I may be wrong but I have a funny feeling that we won't be given many answers," said a family member who is accompanying Mr Furlong.
Mr Furlong is unlikely to visit the Takasaki City University of Economics, where his daughter was studying for the last year or the hotel where she died.
Two Americans, James Blackston (23) and an unnamed 19-year-old musician, have been charged with assaulting a friend of Ms Furlong.
They have so far been held for 12 days and can be held for a further 11 -- following two extensions of detention -- as the investigation continues.
そういえばまだ彼女の部屋は、いまだそのままだということをつい忘れていた。彼女の持ち物を整理するために、高崎にいくのは至極当然だね。先の記事には行かないだろうと書いてあったが、ここでは高経大に行くと明記している。
****
Nicola Furlong's father meets Japanese police
Updated: 16:22, Friday, 8 June 2012
The father of Irish exchange student Nicola Furlong has met Japanese police officers investigating her death.
1 of 1Wexford girl Nicola Furlong died in JapanAndrew Furlong from Wexford arrived in Tokyo yesterday morning with another family member.
Police suspect that Ms Furlong, aged 21, was sexually assaulted then strangled in a Tokyo hotel on 24 May.
Two American men are in custody in Tokyo on assault charges against the DCU student and her Irish friend, who flew home last week.
Police have named one of the suspects as James Blackston, aged 23. The second man, who is 19, cannot be named because he is a minor.
The lawyer representing Mr Blackston yesterday said his client is innocent and was not in the same room as Ms Furlong when she died.
Japanese police can detain suspects for up to 20 days while they interrogate them and gather evidence.
The two men are reportedly being held at separate detention centres in Tokyo police stations.
Ms Furlong's father is believed to have quizzed police on the details of the arrests, which have until now been kept mostly sealed.
During his four-day stay in Japan, he will travel to Takasaki City University of Economics, where Ms Furlong was studying, to pick up her belongings.
Mr Furlong told reporters at Dublin airport before flying to Tokyo that the trip would be "the toughest of my life."
"I was never meant to go on this journey. It is a nightmare," he said.
アメリカ発信のニュースらしいニュース。未成年者の容疑者の名前が、今までの記事とは違っている。こちらの方が正しいだろう。まだ事件の真相がハッキリしないのか、アメリカ人容疑者を犯人とは決め付けていない。それどころか無実なのに警察に留置場に放り込まれた経験をもつアメリカ人の日本体験談をもちだし、日本警察を暗に批判した記事にもなっているところが面白い。
*****
Memphis Man Held in Japan in Connection to Killing
Posted on: 5:19 pm, June 7, 2012, by Adam Hammond
(MEMPHIS) A Memphis man is in a Japanese prison accused of strangling an Irish girl to death in Tokyo.
19-year-old Richard Hinds and his fellow dancer James Blackston are being held as part of the investigation of what happened to Irish exchange student Nicola Furlong. Under the Japanese law the two men can be held for a long period of time while investigators collect evidence.
According to International media reports, Nicola Furlong was found dead of strangulation in a hotel room after a Nicki Minaj concert. A hotel worker went into the room after complaints of loud noises and found Richard Hinds next to Furlong’s body May 24th. Hinds, who is from Memphis, and James Blackson are not charged in Furlong’s death, but are detained on suspicion of giving alcoholic drinks to Furlong’s friend and then groping her inside a taxi.
Hinds’ friend and youth minister Karlos Nichols tells News Channel 3 Hinds is “an amazing and extremely talented person. Richard is very talented and honest, and he has been very consistent all the years I’ve known him.”
Nichols says Hinds’ family hasn’t talked to him yet and is working to get him home.
Eva Watson feels sorry for the family.
“They’re going through some changes. Hurt, sorrow, you know that’s it. I know they’re hurting,” said Watson.
Gary Armijo knows what it’s like to be in trouble with the law in Japan. Once when Armijo traveled to Japan his friend was arrested by accident.
“They took him in and took him to jail for three days before we found out where he was. Fed him fish heads and rice. They shaved his head. His friend was eventually cleared because he wasn’t who they thought he was,” said Armijo.
Richard Hinds’ family called Memphis minster LaSimba Gray to ask for help in getting the teen home and he referred them to Congressman Steve Cohen’s Office and the Japanese Embassy. Congressman Cohen’s office says so far no one from the family has contacted him about Hinds.
亡き娘のラップトップコンピューター
******
Nicola Furlong: Dad lands in Tokyo looking for answers
By Independent.ie reporters
Friday June 08 2012
MURDERED student Nicola Furlong’s dad has begun an agonising quest in Japan, to get answers as to what happened to his daughter.
Andrew Furlong (42) arrived in Tokyo today with Nicola’s uncle Denis Corrigan to speak to Japanese police investigating the circumstances surrounding DCU student Nicola’s death in a Tokyo hotel on May 24th.
As soon as they landed they went straight to a meeting with police investigating the alleged indecent assault of Nicola’s friend.
Two Americans – dancer James Blackston (23) and an unnamed 19-year-old musician – are in custody charged with the attack.
They are being held at a daiyo kangoku, a substitute prison, situated in a Tokyo police station and it is understood that one or both may be charged in relation to Nicola’s death by strangulation in the next week.
They can be held for up to eight days more before charges have to be brought under Japanese law.
Speaking to reporters at Dublin airport before they departed, devastated Andrew Furlong said he was about to embark on “the toughest journey of my life”.
“I was never meant to go on this journey. It is a nightmare. My daughters were supposed to bury me, not the other way around.”
Nicola’s dad and uncle were met at the other side by representatives from the Irish embassy in Tokyo.
They travelled at the request of Japanese police who wanted to speak to the Wexford man.
Mr Furlong said that Japanese police had requested to meet with him: “They said they want to talk to me face to face and I hope they have some answers into how Nicola died.”
“We have consulted with senior Gardai and put together a list of questions we want to ask the police there,” Mr Furlong told the Irish Daily Mirror.
It is understood they police are looking for background on Nicola and her trip to Tokyo. The student had been there since last September and was in daily contact with her family.
The police station where Mr Fulong is talking to police in Tokyo, is the nearest one to Keio Plaza Hotel where the body of the languages and business student was discovered.
1-2
Nicola's dad and uncle are planning to visit the university in Takasaki where the exchange student was spending 10 months.
They intend to visit her room there, but said they would not be visiting the hotel where Nicola’s body was discovered in a room in the early hours of May 24.
The student had attended a Nicki Minaj concert with a friend and had gone to the hotel for dinner and drinks afterwards with two men they met at the concert.
It is suspected by police that their driks may have been spiked.
Mr Furlong said: “I don’t think we will travel to the hotel, I think that would be a step too far. But we will try to bring back some of her stuff. She had two laptops out there. I want to get into her room. That will be the most difficult part.”
He explained to reporters that he wanted the laptop computer as he had bought it for his daughter and knew there were nice photos of her saved on it.
The father-of-two said in the departures lounge: “I can’t wait to get home to my other daughter Andrea, and we are not even out of Dublin.”
Earlier in the week the distraught boyfriend of Nicola Danny Furlong (22) told the Irish Independent that Nicola's homecoming next month should have been the "happiest day of our lives".
"I always said that the day she was home would have been the happiest day of both of our lives," said Danny, a promising young footballer, adding that the couple had planned to go on a sun holiday together.
Danny helped carry Nicola's pink coffin to the church in Wexford for her funeral Mass last Sunday.
Nicola’s dad and uncle are expected to make the 9,500 mile return to Ireland next Tuesday.
Mr Furlong said he expects to be returning again to Tokyo for a trial along with her friend who was assaulted the night of Nicola's murder, although it is believed she recalls little of the attack.
ダブリンシティ大学教授の事件をめぐる意見記事：アイルランドの長引く国内不況が若者を海外に押し出す。世界中に散らばるだけに、それだけ危険が伴う。こうした優秀で活動的な若者がアイルランドに必要なだけに、今回の殺人事件は家族や地域住民の損失ばかりではなく、国にとっての大きな損失だと結論付けている。
****
Nicola Furlong: Tragic death reminds us of our country's great loss
Young Irish people who go abroad, whether to study or to seek work, run extra risks, writes Colum Kenny
By Dr Colum Kenny is Professor of Communications at DCU
Sunday June 03 2012
IT IS every parent’s nightmare. Their daughter or son goes abroad and meets an evil end. The death in Japan last week of 21-year-old DCU student Nicola Furlong was untimely and unpleasant.
Not that the sudden death of any young person is easy to take. The loss of UCC student Niamh McCarthy in a sand dune accident in Kerry last week was awful too.
But young people abroad run extra risks. They do not know the ropes, and many of them have no network of family and friends around them.
Some are leaving Ireland on exchange programmes, and some in search of work. Often a student’s visit turns into a longer stay, either by choice or by necessity. But in any case, Irish young people abroad
are strangers in a different culture.
Was it chance, evil design or attraction that brought together two DCU students and two Americans in Japan? Whatever the reason, the outcome has been a disaster for all involved.
The four met at a concert by American rapper Nicki Minaj. One of the men, a musician, is reportedly younger than the two Irish students and has not been named by police.
The other is 23-year-old James Blackston.
Blackston has danced with Jennifer Lopez and the Black Eyed Peas. He is said to come from South Central in Los Angeles. I have never been there. But a few years ago I drove from outside Los Angeles to LAX, the city’s main airport, and people warned me not to take the prior exit to South Central. That is the kind of reputation it has.
A video on the internet is said to show Blackston dancing on a Japanese commuter train. The ‘wilding out’ performance that features in it is both aggressive and intimidating. Blackston is reported to have been on tour in Japan as a back-up dancer.
Both Americans are now in police custody, and rumours of what led to the death of Nicola in a fancy Tokyo hotel abound.
If it transpires that drugs or date-rape substances were involved in her death and in any assault of her Irish friend, then few people will be surprised.
1-2
Whether Nicola and her friend meant to miss the last train or not, they found themselves in the company of people who were exciting and different. But the media glamour of a rap lifestyle does not always match the reality of life for those who grew up in a ghetto.
But we cannot always be there when our children most need us, and in any event students are only children in the eyes of their parents.
Exchange students expect to have fun while they are abroad. It goes with the territory. Nicola sent a message to her mother before she left: “Ten weeks and I’ll be back in Ireland,” she texted. Within one week, her remains have returned.
Nicola was a student of international business and languages. She was getting to know Asia. A member of DCU staff was already in Japan visiting exchange students there when disaster struck two of them. That person has been able to offer support to Nicola’s traumatised friend.
DCU president Brian MacCraith extended the sympathies of all DCU staff and students to Nicola’s family.
And then there are the growing numbers of young Irish people who are not simply on student sojourns abroad, but who may have to eke out an existence for themselves in the long term far from their families. Betrayed by those who ruined our economy at home, are they being supported abroad in any way by the new Ireland?
Recent young emigrants forced to go abroad to seek work got a peculiar message from Ireland last week. As some Irish voters went to the polls on Thursday, ostensibly to help to determine the future of the EU, Irish voters abroad had no say in the matter.
The absence of some facilities even within the EU for Irish abroad to vote in domestic elections and referenda is a continuing disgrace. Other countries provide such a service. We could if we wished to do so. When we do not, it sends a disowning message to those abroad.
And most young people leaving the country no longer have the same kind of extended Irish communities to rely on abroad that earlier generations had. For one thing, the Catholic Church is seriously weakened. For another, they are going to a much wider range of destinations, where the Irish are more thinly spread than ever before.
Emails and Skype and texting and mobiles only go so far to bridge the gap. Sometimes they accentuate it. Nicky’s father told the Irish Independent that when she spoke long distance to him the day before she died, “she joked that next time we saw her would be in the papers drinking champagne with Nicki Minaj; she didn't know that the next time we would see her it would be in the papers as a victim”.
As Ireland struggles to recover from recession, it needs energetic and bright young people like Nicola to go abroad and to learn about the world. She was brave to do so, and reportedly found it quite hard to go.
Nicola Furlong’s death is a loss not just to DCU and to her native Wexford but to Ireland. May she rest in peace.
- Dr Colum Kenny is Professor of Communications at DCU
2-2
アメリカ側からくるニュースは背筋が凍る。強姦殺人容疑者の裏と表の顔。相手を疑わない若い女性を見つけては甘い言葉で近づき、強姦目的でお酒を飲ませ、薬で酩酊させる。それが成功すれば泊まっているホテルに無理やり連れ込む。ホテルの車椅子を使うというのは初耳。すべて計画どうり、順調と思いきや被害者が突然目を覚まし騒いで抵抗を試みる。それを思わず首を絞めて黙らせようと腕力を振るう。その結末が女性の死。前の記事では強姦したとなっていたが、真相は法廷での解剖結果の証言で明らかになる。その悪魔の表側はキリスト信者で教会でキーボードを担当して、地域の住民に慕われる存在だったという。そんな記事が下に書かれている。呆れて何も言えない。今日初めて、アメリカのお茶の間のテレビのニュースに事件が伝えられたのを見る。それもアイルランドのニュースの引用に頼った報道で新しいものはない。ただ被害者の生前の写真、例の誕生日のケーキを両手で抱えて、ろうそくの光が可憐で美しい彼女の顔を浮かびだしている写真が画面いっぱいに映し出されて、見慣れてはいたけれど新鮮な胸の痛みを覚えた。
****
American musician, 19, arrested as he confesses to strangling Irish student in Tokyo hotel room but insists he didn't mean to kill her
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 08:22 EST, 15 June 2012
A 19-year-old American musician has admitted to strangling an Irish student in Tokyo last month but insists he didn’t mean to kill her.
Japanese police arrested Richard Hinds, from Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday on suspicion of murdering Nicola Furlong, 21, in a hotel room on May 24.
Police suspect that Hinds killed Ms Furlong after she refused his sexual advances, according to Jiji Press, a Japanese news agency.
Hinds confessed to pressing his victim’s neck with his hands but said he did not mean to kill her, the agency reported.
Hinds, who graduated from Central High School Memphis last year and moved to Japan in April to pursue his music career, was captured on CCTV wheeling the student to his room at the Keio Plaza Hotel in the city’s Shinjuku district at around 1am on May 24.
In the footage, Ms Furlong appears to be unconscious in the wheelchair. Police believe that her drink may have been spiked and are waiting on toxicology results.
****
Hinds, who has only recently been identified in the US media is a keyboardist from Memphis. He was traveling with his brother and some other Memphis musicians as part of Japanese Hip-Hop artist AI's tour. Blackston was a backup dancer with the tour. Recent reports out of Memphis indicate Hinds was very active in his church and very highly thought of in the community. Family and friends are adamant that he is innocent. Hinds has no previous criminal record in Shelby County.
アメリカ側のニュース。容疑者の家族側の対応が簡単に記されている。
****
Memphis man, 19, accused of killing Irish exchange student in Japan
By Jody Callahan 、Memphis Commercial Appeal
Posted June 14, 2012 at 2:02 p.m., updated June 15, 2012 at 12:08 a.m.
.
A 19-year-old Memphian has been arrested in Japan in the killing of an Irish exchange student.
Richard Hinds, a keyboard player who was touring with Japanese pop star AI, is accused of strangling Nicola Furlong, 23.
According to a report from the Irish Times newspaper, Japanese police said Hinds admitted strangling Furlong but said he wasn't trying to kill her.
Furlong was killed in a Tokyo hotel on May 24, after attending a Nicki Minaj concert in the city.
Hinds and another American arrested in the case, 23-year-old James Blackston, had been in custody for several weeks in the case.
Under Japanese law, suspects can be held for a considerable period of time as investigators build a case.
However, Blackston is no longer a suspect in the slaying, the newspaper said.
Police said security camera footage from the Keio Plaza Hotel shows Hinds arriving around 1 a.m., then using a hotel wheelchair to carry the unconscious Furlong to his room, the newspaper reported.
According to the newspaper, the footage confirms that nobody else entered the room until hotel staff went to check on Furlong a few hours later. She was rushed to a hospital but later declared dead.
Congressman Steve Cohen's office refused to discuss Thursday whether the family had reached out to the office for help.
Minister LaSimba Gray said he's been in touch with the Hinds family. "We did get (Cohen's office) to call the family and see what will be done," he said.
Hinds, a 2011 graduate of Central High, has no criminal record in Shelby County.
日本滞在し、実父が亡き娘がいない、そのままになった部屋でひと時を過ごす。どんなことが頭をよぎったのであろうか。その苦痛が指輪とラップトップに込められている。
****
Nicola Furlong: Dad arrives home from Japan with Nicola’s rings and her laptop
By Mark Hilliard、Irish Independent
Wednesday June 13 2012
NICOLA Furlong's father has said he is confident Japanese police have a strong enough case to secure justice for his daughter's death.
Returning from Tokyo last night, Andrew Furlong wore Nicola's two precious rings around his neck having recovered her personal effects.
He also clung to the laptop he had bought the DCU student before her departure for Japan last year.
While he could not go into the details of his extensive meetings with investigating detectives, Mr Furlong said he was confident justice would be done.
"We got a lot of answers but we are kind of tied not to say too much," he said in Dublin Airport following an 11-hour flight from Asia with brother-in-law Denis Corrigan.
"The meetings were long, stressful, hard, and every day was worse than the previous one. You would think there would be an easier day when the next day comes but it's harder again."
It is now three weeks since Nicola (21) was found dead in a Tokyo hotel room after a night out at a Nicki Minaj concert with her Irish friend. Two men -- Americans James Blackston (23) and another 19-year-old -- remain in custody on a charge of assaulting Nicola's friend in the run-up to the tragedy.
Mr Furlong and Mr Corrigan flew out last Thursday and spent five intensive days with police and prosecutors and visited the university where Nicola had been studying to reclaim her personal property.
He spent some time alone in her room but said he would have found it far too difficult to visit the crime scene where his daughter's body was found.
"We got back her rings as well, which was emotional. It was nice to see where she was; the college were brilliant with us out there.
"The whole place couldn't do enough. I think Nicola is the first person in the college that something like this has happened to."
Police detailed the case they were building and Mr Furlong was required to give his recommendation on what penalty anybody convicted with her killing might face.
Heading to his home in Curracloe, Co Wexford, Mr Furlong said his priority now was simply to get home to his "angel" daughter Andrea (18).
ＡＢＣ ＮＥＷＳ
By Akiko Fujita、Jun 15, 2012 6:21am
Hinds is a well known Christian musician in the Memphis area, but had travelled abroad to work as a backup dancer to a Japanese R&B artist, according to WPTY-TV in Memphis. He planned to return home on June 20 before he was arrested.
