Nicola Furlong was an Irish female exchange student who was murdered in a Shinjuku hotel while studying at a Takasaki university near Tokyo in 2012. An African American man, Richard Hinds, was later convicted of her murder and sentenced to a minimum of 5 years in prison. A memorial, located in Ardcavan, County Wexford, was erected in her memory in 2018.[1]

Nicola Furlong
Nicola Furlong
Born17 December 1990 (1990-12-17)
Ireland
Died24 May 2012 (2012-05-25) (aged 21)
Tokyo
Cause of deathHomicide
Resting placeCurracloe, Co Wexford
EducationDublin City University
Occupation(s)Student (Business and Languages)
Known forMurder victim

Background

Nicola Furlong was a student (Business and Japanese) at Dublin City University when in 2011 she moved to Japan as part of an exchange program with the Takasaki City University of Economics,[2] and was due to move back to Ireland in July 2012.[3] On 23 May 2012, Furlong and another Irish exchange student travelled to Tokyo by train to attended a concert by Nicki Minaj in Odaiba district.[4] The pair remained in Tokyo afterwards, planning to stay up all night clubbing and then catch the first train home the next morning. They met two African American men (19-year-old Richard Hinds and 23-year-old dancer James Jamari "JSTYLZ"[5] Blackston) at Tokyo Teleport Station after the concert, who offered to take them drinking in the Shibuya district. The men also offered Furlong and her friend one of their rooms in the at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku if they wished to stay over, however the women declined.[6]

Death of Nicola Furlong

The group thereafter arrived at the Scramble bar in Shibuya, where Furlong and her friend bought the men a round of drinks out of gratitude. Hinds and Blackston then bought shots of tequila for the two women, and after drinking her shot Furlong's friend then suddenly blacked out and did not regain her senses fully for several hours.[7] At 12:50am, Hinds and Blackston hailed a taxi and placed the two now heavily intoxicated women in the back, then instructed the driver to take them to the Keio Plaza Hotel. A video camera in the roof of the vehicle recorded Hinds and Blackston sexually assaulting Furlong's unconscious friend while laughing and discussing having sex with the pair,[8] with Blackston being recorded saying: “We are going to fuck them and leave them in my room.”[9]

When the taxi arrived at the hotel Furlong and her friend were too intoxicated to walk, and hotel staff had to provide wheelchairs to get them out of the taxi.[10] Hinds and Blackston then took the pair to separate rooms on the upper floors. At around 3:20am, Hinds called hotel reception to report a medical emergency with Furlong, and at 3:30am an ambulance arrived to transport Furlong and her friend to a nearby medical facticity. At 4:40am, Furlong was pronounced dead in the emergency room of Tokyo Medical University hospital. Hinds and Blackston were arrested at the scene and brought to a Shinjuku police station for interrogation. [11] On 24 May 2012, Nicki Minaj posted on her Twitter feed to express sadness over the murder of Furlong and to offer "love & prayers" to her family back in Ireland.[12][13]

Hinds and Blackston were initially held for questioning on suspicion of sexually assaulting Furlong's unconscious friend on the back seat of the taxi,[14] however on 15 June 2012 the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department re-arrested Hinds for the murder of Nicola Furlong after reviewing her autopsy report.[15]

Trial

On 4 March 2013 at the Tokyo District Court, Richard Hinds plead not guilty to the murder of Nicola Furlong, before a court composed of three professional judges and six civilian lay judges.[16]

Testifying for the prosecution, the Professor of Forensic Medicine who performed the post mortem examination on Furlong asserted that she had died of strangulation, and rejected suggestions by defence lawyers that alcohol played any role in her death. Doctor Kenta Aida, who treated Furlong in the hospital emergency room, also gave evidence of administering injections of adrenaline in an attempt to revive her, as well as inserting a plastic tube into her throat to keep her airways open. These were the reasons for puncture wounds being found on Furlong's body and traces of lidocaine being found in her blood, and were not infact indications of recreational drug use.[17]

Giving evidence in his own defence, Hinds claimed he put his hands around Furlong's neck after she refused his sexual advances, and that he had no intention to kill her. However, his version of events was rejected by the prosecution, who claimed that Hinds tried to rape Furlong while she was unconscious, only for her to wake up and scream. Hinds then strangled her. According to police, Furlong's friend was sexually assaulted in the taxi on the way to the hotel while both women were unconscious. Once they arrived at the men's hotel, the hotel provided a wheelchair to take the incapacitated women to the men's rooms. Police said the groping that took place in the taxi was captured on a security camera, as was the entrance of the two women to the hotel in wheelchairs being pushed by the two men.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]

Verdict & Sentencing

On 19 March 2013, Hinds was found guilty and sentenced to five to ten years imprisonment for the murder of Nicola Furlong.[30][31] His release was originally projected for November 2017, but his parole was delayed after authorities deemed that he had "failed to convince authorities that he was remorseful for Nicola's murder."[32] Blackstone was sentenced to and served three years in a Japanese prison for the sexual assault of Furlong's friend.[33]

Release of murderer

Hinds was released from prison on 19 November 2022 and deported to the United States on a commercial flight.[34]

References

  1. ↑ "Father of Nicola Furlong dreads imminent release of her killer". BreakingNews.ie. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  2. ↑ "Nicola stood for all that's good". Irish Independent. 2012-05-29.
  3. ↑ "Nicola Furlong: Suspects being held by Tokyo police linked to hip-hop star AI". Irish Independent. 2012-06-05.
  4. ↑ "Richard Hinds guilty of Nicola Furlong murder in Tokyo". BBC News. 2013-03-19.
  5. ↑ "JSTYLZ (@_jstylz_) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  6. ↑ "Nicola's friend breaks down in court". Irish Examiner. 2013-03-07.
  7. ↑ "Nicola's friend breaks down in court". Irish Examiner. 2013-03-07.
  8. ↑ "12 Hours in Tokyo". Irish Daily Mail. 2012-06-02.
  9. ↑ "Dad haunted by images of fateful night". Irish Daily Mirror. 2013-03-06.
  10. ↑ "Furlong family to sue hotel where Nicola was killed". Irish Independent. 2013-03-22.
  11. ↑ "12 Hours in Tokyo". Irish Daily Mail. 2012-06-02.
  12. ↑ "Nicki Minaj pays tribute to Nicola killed after concert". Irish Independent. 2012-05-31.
  13. ↑ "Nicki Minaj". Twitter. 2012-05-31.
  14. ↑ "Two American men still jailed in Japan in death of Irish exchange student Nicola Furlong". CBS News. 2012-06-15.
  15. ↑ "U.S. church pianist arrested for murder of Irish exchange student in Tokyo". NY Daily News. 2012-06-15.
  16. ↑ "Cultural differences emerge at Tokyo District Court". RTE News. 2013-03-08.
  17. ↑ "Tokyo court told Nicola Furlong died of strangulation". RTE News. 2013-03-06.
  18. ↑ Spa guide. "Christian musician killed Nicola for refusing sexual advance, say police - National News". Independent.ie. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  19. ↑ Spa guide. "Nicola Furlong: Dad lands in Tokyo looking for answers - National News". Independent.ie. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  20. ↑ "Japan Murder Arrest: American Teenager Likely to Remain Behind Bars - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  21. ↑ Spa guide. "Memphis Christian musician Richard Hinds (19) suspected of killing Nicola Furlong - National News". Independent.ie. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  22. ↑ "Two American men still jailed in Japan in death of Irish exchange student Nicola Furlong - Crimesider". CBS News. 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  23. ↑ "Memphis teen Richard Hinds confesses to Nicola Furlong's Tokyo murder | Irish News and Politics spanning the US, Ireland and the World". IrishCentral. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  24. ↑ "Americans Arrested in Death of Irish Student in Tokyo - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. 2012-05-28. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  25. ↑ "Rumors, lies fill void left by police in Furlong case | The Japan Times Online". Japantimes.co.jp. 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  26. ↑ "U.S. men held over alleged rape, Irish woman's death | The Japan Times Online". Japantimes.co.jp. 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  27. ↑ "U.S. teen in custody formally arrested in Irish woman's slaying | The Japan Times Online". Japantimes.co.jp. 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  28. ↑ Kyung Lah (2012-06-15). "American arrested in death of Irish woman in Tokyo hotel room". CNN. Archived from the original on 2012-06-24. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  29. ↑ "A violent death, some justice, few answers in Furlong case - The Japan Times". 19 March 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  30. ↑ McNeill, David (19 March 2013). "Hinds guilty of murdering Irish student Nicola Furlong: Japanese court sentences US musician to minimum of five years in prison for killing Co Wexford woman in Tokyo hotel room". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  31. ↑ Murphy, Paul (19 March 2013). "Nicola Furlong family angered at Japanese justice system". Irish Independent. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  32. ↑ "Nicola's dad hopes her killer is kept in prison". Wexford People. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018 – via PressReader.
  33. ↑ "'It was unfortunate imbroglio all around' – man who sexually abused friend of murdered student Nicola Furlong". Irish Independent. January 4, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Killer of Nicola Furlong in Tokyo returns to US after release from prison". The Irish Times.
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