Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture was the site of a bizarre death of 23 year-old Takuya Nagaya at the hands his father, Katsumi Nagaya. The victim was repeatedly assaulted including bites before succumbing to injuries.

The father having been arrested on suspicion of assault had said “I did it to drive out the snake that had possessed him.”

Takuya, who lives in nearby Anjo City was at his parents’ home in the early morning of 18 January.  From then until the same evening he was repeatedly attacked by various means such as head-butting and biting.

After falling limp he was taken to hospital where he later died.

According to the police investigation, while Takuya was at the parents’ home he began acting violent and erratic saying things such as “I am a snake.”  The mother was worried and called Katsumi to help.

Then, as the suspect admitted in a police statement, he began beating his son in an effort to eliminate the snake from his mind.

A trial is yet to be set but it seems likely the suspect’s mental health will have to be examined before proceeding.

Source: tv asahi (Japanese)