Dominican man in Japan sentenced to 12 years in jail for murdering Vietnamese student

At the trial starting on May 16, Alberto denied the charge of murdering T.T.A in Osaka Prefecture. His lawyer argued that the victim was the first to attack and that the defendant was only "justifiably defending".

However, Osaka's prosecutors presented clear evidence that the defendant intentionally attacked when the victim was completely unresistant, and then pushed the exhausted victim into the river. This is the main cause of the victim's subsequent death. Therefore, the prosecutors insisted on a sentence of 18 years in prison for the defendant.

After deliberation, the presiding judge of the trial concluded that although at first, the defendant had "legitimate defence".  However, he continued attacking the victim and did not stop his action even though the victim did not have the ability to resist, and then he deliberately pushed the victim into the river.

It was an act of violence that was more than necessary for self-defence, the judge said, adding that pushing the victim into the river was a major factor in the death. On that basis, the court sentenced the defendant to 12 years in prison, six years lower than the proposal by the procuracy agency.

According to the indictment, on August 2, 2021, Alberto, a 27-years-old, unemployed man who has no fixed place of residence, beat and kicked the victim, T.T.A, an international student of the Vietnamese nationality, into Dotonbori River in Namba area in Osaka, causing the victim's death on the evening of the same day. Three days later, Osaka police arrested the murderer and launched legal procedures against him.