Seito Sakakibara

Seito Sakakibara (酒鬼薔薇 聖斗 Sakakibara Seito?). The perpetrator was arrested on June 28, 1997 in connection with the Hase murder, and later confessed to both murders. As a juvenile offender, he was prosecuted and convicted as "Boy A". His real name has not been released to the press because Japanese law prohibits publishing the identification. But, in some weekly magazines, his real name has been reported. Beginning in 2004, "Boy A" was released on a provisional basis, with a full release announced to follow on January 1, 2005. The murders and subsequent release of the perpetrator gained widespread attention from Japanese media and politicians.