: He worked as a restaurant critic, appeared in adult films, and was the subject of the Rolling Stones' song "Too Much Blood" and the Stranglers' "La Folie."
What makes this crime particularly notorious is the manner in which Sagawa disposed of Furuta's body. He cut her into pieces, placed them in a suitcase, and then abandoned the suitcase in a forest. The suitcase was discovered several days later, containing Furuta's torso, legs, and arms.
A list of the he produced during his time as a celebrity.
Issei Sagawa was a 26-year-old Japanese man who worked at a factory in Kobe. He was described by those who knew him as quiet and unassuming, with no prior history of violent behavior. issei sagawa suitcase
The investigation into Furuta's disappearance and murder was extensive, with police reviewing numerous tips and gathering evidence. Sagawa was eventually arrested and confessed to the crime. During his interrogation, he showed no remorse for his actions, stating that he had simply wanted to have sex with Furuta and became violent when she resisted.
: On June 13, 1981, Sagawa took a taxi to the Bois de Boulogne , a large public park in Paris.
: In 1984, his wealthy father lobbied for his return to Japan. French authorities agreed on the condition he remain hospitalized. : He worked as a restaurant critic, appeared
What followed was perhaps the most disturbing chapter of all. Sagawa became a minor celebrity in Japan. He wrote several books, including a novel titled In the Fog (which fictionalizes the murder) and a memoir, Konnichiwa, Watashi wa Issei Desu (“Hello, I’m Issei”). He contributed restaurant reviews, appeared on talk shows, gave interviews, and even served as a commentator on crime analysis. He was both reviled and morbidly celebrated—a “real-life Hannibal Lecter” who walked the streets of Tokyo.
: His life was chronicled in the 2017 documentary Caniba , which explored his internal psyche and his later years.
But the story was far from over. Sagawa’s wealthy family in Japan exerted enormous pressure and expense to bring him home. In 1984, they succeeded in having him extradited to Japan. Upon arrival, Japanese authorities reassessed his case. A panel of Japanese psychiatrists came to a different conclusion: they found that Sagawa was not insane, but rather had a severe personality disorder. However, because French authorities had already dismissed the case, and due to legal technicalities regarding evidence and double jeopardy, the Japanese prosecutors could not re-try him for the murder committed in France. A list of the he produced during his time as a celebrity
In the early 1980s, a small, unassuming suitcase became the center of one of the most bizarre and horrifying true crime cases of the 20th century. Inside that suitcase was the dismembered remains of a young Dutch woman. And the man who carried it through the streets of Paris was Issei Sagawa—a man whose name would become synonymous with a crime so grotesque that it continues to fascinate and repel the world decades later.
. The "suitcase" element refers to the gruesome manner in which he attempted to dispose of her remains. The Crime and the Suitcases