There will be a new episode on the Narumi Kurosaki case. This, following it was known today that the defense of Nicolás Zepeda, who yesterday he was sentenced to spend 28 years in prison for the murder of the young Japanese happened in 2016. In addition, he was sentenced to pay regarding 175 million pesos in compensation for the family of the young Japanese woman and for the ex-boyfriend Arthur Del Piccolo for moral damage.
According to the L’est Républicain media, his lawyer Jacqueline Laffont appealed the ruling and a new trial will be held in 2023 or 2024, at a date and place to be specified. The information is also ratified by the French medium France 3.
Room 106, the trial of Nicolás Zepeda: Audio history of a crime that shocked three countries
Throughout the trial, which began on March 29, Zepeda denied being guilty of Narumi’s death. In fact yesterday, in a final statement on the stand, he said: “I never wanted to be in the middle of Narumi’s family’s pain, my family’s pain, my own pain. I’m not who I want to be, but I’m not a killer. I’m not Narumi’s killer. Thank you”.
© SEBASTIAN BOZON
Nicolás Zepeda’s lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont.
Zepeda, at a time when he was no longer Narumi’s boyfriend, traveled to Besanzón to meet with the young woman. According to the prosecutor, he followed her for several days. In those days the 31-year-old Chilean bought 5 liters of fuel, cleaning products and matches. His explanations as to why he acquired these elements did not convince the jury, made up of 9 people (3 magistrates and 6 common citizens), who accepted premeditation in the crime.
Zepeda acknowledged having met the Japanese woman on her trip to France and having spent nearly 30 hours with her in her room, in a university residence in Besanzón. According to what he said, when he left her, at dawn on December 6, the young woman was in perfect health.
Según el fiscal Etienne Manteaux, Narumi Kurosaki was murdered in her room on December 5 between 3:15 AM and 3:21 AM.
Yesterday, the prosecutor Étienne Manteaux delivered his hypothesis regarding how Zepeda would have murdered the Japanese woman and what he would have done with the body. In that sense, he said that his method would have been suffocation and then he would have thrown the body into the Doubs River. It’s “the most likely hypothesis,” he said.
