Couple accused of trying to kill baby slapped with fresh charges

The Mainichi Shimbun
March 31, 2008
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080331p2a00m0na015000c.html

NARA -- A couple arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder their 5-month-old son have been slapped with fresh charges over beatings on the infant's twin brother that left him with brain damage, police said.

Hit with fresh charges of attempted murder were Nara resident Kazuya Matsumoto, 29, and his 21-year-old wife Kotomi. They have denied having intended to murder their children.

Investigators said that the couple conspired together and abused the first-born of the twin boys between Nov. 28 and March 9 last year, slapping him in the face, and strongly pinching his side and his chin. They are accused of inflicting serious injures on the infant, including a brain hemorrhage.

The boy is expected to survive, but damage to his brain is expected to remain.

(Mainichi Japan) March 31, 2008

Nara couple arrested for brutal attacks on infant son

The Mainichi Shimbun
March 10, 2008
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080310p2a00m0na025000c.html

NARA -- A couple who viciously beat their 4-month-old son into a coma because he wouldn't stop crying were arrested Monday, police said.

Kazuya Matsumoto, 29, unemployed of Nara, and his 21-year-old wife, Kotomi, were arrested for the attempted murder of their son, the younger of two twin boys aged 4-months old.

The boy remains in a coma, but is covered with bruises from apparently regular beatings and had broken ribs and thigh bones on both legs.

The Matsumotos are also suspected of battering the elder twin, who is also covered in pinch marks, though the couple's 1-year-old daughter shows no signs of external injuries resulting from abuse.

Both Matsumotos admit wrongdoing, but Kotomi denies murderous intent.

"I was stressed out, so I got violent when he cried," Kazuya Matsumoto told the police. "I just wanted to get away from him because he cried so much."

Kotomi Matsumoto denied trying to kill her boy.

"I did slap him, but never wanted to kill him," she said. "I couldn't stop my husband's violence."

Police said the couple routinely bashed their son from December until Sunday, slapping him, strongly pinching his chin and underarms and causing him serious injuries, including the broken bones.

On Sunday, the boy's heart stopped beating and he stopped breathing. His father took him to a hospital in Nabari, Mie Prefecture. The boy started breathing again, but remains in a coma. Hospital officials noted the boy's condition and reported it to the police.

Police are continuing to investigate the couple over the elder twin's injuries. The elder twin is currently receiving treatment at a hospital. The Matsumotos' daughter and elder boy have been taken into the care of a Nara children's home.

（Mainichi Japan） March 10, 2008