Main Defendant Sentenced to 27 Years in Hokkaido High School Girl Bridge Death Case

Asahikawa District Court in Hokkaido sentenced Riko Uchida to 27 years in prison today for the 2024 death of a high school student at the Kamui Bridge. Uchida was convicted of murder, confinement, and other charges.

According to reports from NHK, Sankei Shimbun, and Yomiuri Shimbun, 23-year-old unemployed defendant Riko Uchida and her 21-year-old accomplice, Yuka Konishi, abducted a 17-year-old girl from Rumoi City on April 18, 2024. They held the victim in a vehicle and transported her to the Kamui Kotan area in Asahikawa.

Evidence showed that Uchida forced the victim to undress and sit on the bridge railing while threatening her, leading the victim to fall into the river and drown. Prosecutors argued the motive stemmed from a dispute over the unauthorized use of Uchida’s photos. While Uchida admitted to the confinement, she denied intent to kill. The court rejected her defense, citing her persistent abuse and intimidation as grounds for the murder conviction.

Uchida’s accomplice, Konishi, was previously sentenced to 23 years in prison. During the sentencing hearing today, a spectator disrupted the proceedings, shouting that the sentence was too lenient before being subdued by security. The court session was temporarily suspended due to the disturbance.