Defendant Brian Alberto Cabrera Cruz. — Photo MBS News

HÀ NỘI — A man convicted of murdering a Vietnamese student in Japan has been jailed for 12 years. 

Brian Alberto Cabrera Cruz, from the Dominican Republic, initially denied killing the 21-year-old claiming he was attacked first and was acting in self defence. 

But the Osaka prefecture’s Prosecutor Office pointed to evidence that showed the defendant intentionally attacked the victim who was not resisting. Cruz, 27, then pushed the man into the river.

The office recommended that the defendant should be sentenced to 18 years in prison.

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 behaviour 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, it was ruled, and  pushing him 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 sentence proposed by the prosecutor's office.

On August 2, 2021, Cruz, who was unemployed and had no permanent address, beat the Vietnamese student then pushed him into the Dotonbori River in the Namba Parks area, which caused him to die.

According to local police, he appeared to have drunk alcohol with the student near the scene before the incident took place.

Three days later, the Osaka Prefectural Police arrested Cruz and charged him with murder. — VNS