Agency Report
A French court on Tuesday sentenced a Chilean man to 28 years’ jail for murdering his Japanese ex-girlfriend in 2016 in eastern France, in a high-profile case spanning three continents.
The jury at the court in Besancon convicted Nicolas Zepeda, 31, of murdering Narumi Kurosaki, then aged 21, in December 2016. Prosecutors had called for a life sentence.
As the verdict was read out, Zepeda remained motionless, looking dejected.
Sitting opposite, Narumi Kurosaki’s mother watched him, her head tilted slightly to the side, handkerchief in hand and still holding the photo of her daughter she had clutched since the start of the trial late last month.
Earlier, Zepeda, who proclaimed his innocence throughout the trial, again denied murdering Kurosaki.
“I am not Narumi’s killer,” Zepeda told the court before the six members of the jury and three judges retired to consider their verdict.
AFP
