Police suspect killer of Mazda employee was familiar with dormitory
(Mainichi Japan)
HIROSHIMA -- A Mazda Motor Corp. employee, found dead on an emergency staircase at the company's dormitory here a week ago, was likely killed by someone familiar with the inside of the structure, police said, noting that residents do not usually use the staircase.
Hiroshima Prefectural Police are focusing on the victim's relations with his friends and acquaintances in investigating the case to see if he was involved in any trouble.
The body of Kyohei Sugano, 19, was found on Sept. 14 on the second floor landing of the emergency staircase of the south wing of a dormitory for Mazda employees in Minami Ward, Hiroshima, suffering from massive bleeding. Earlier in the day, he had withdrawn more than 1 million yen from his account.
Prefectural police announced the incident two days after the discovery of his body following an autopsy.
The dormitory is shaped like the letter, "H," comprised of the seven-story north and south wings connected with a corridor. An emergency staircase is situated inside each wing.
The front door is the sole entrance to the dormitory. When moving into the dormitory, residents are told not to use any of the staircases except in an emergency. However, one resident admits that there are some people who use the staircases to go out.
Co-workers say Sugano moved into his seventh-floor room at the dormitory as soon as he joined Mazda in April 2015. Sugano did not interact with many dormitory residents, and one of his colleagues who joined the automaker in the same year as him said he was shy.
When found, Sugano was lightly dressed and a bag was abandoned nearby. Of the large amount of cash he withdrew on the day, not much was found left in the bag or his room.
