An Unsolved Serial Case

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

The Beika Police Department is stumped by this case. It's up to DCW's detectives to solve the serial attacks. If you have a deduction for the case, please post it in spoilers. The name of the killer, break of the alibi(s) and motives and evidence are needed. If you have a question or need a hint, ask. It's past midnight and this one was long, so I probably forgot a detail or left out something.

PART ONE:

On January 3rd, Hara Hitomi, a 19 year old college student and aspiring model and fashion designer was found dead in a rundown bus station just outside of Beika-chou. She was about 145 centimeters tall, was ambidextrous and had blonde hair and brown eyes. Evidence showed that she had been killed in that station between 9:00 and 9:30 pm the night before. There was no sign of a struggle between herself and her killer. The cause of death was a single blow to the upper-right side of her head with a blunt object. No murder weapon has been found, but a long tan men's coat and a crewcut sock, both blood spattered, had been disposed of in a nearby trash can. The sock had traces of soil on it, and its twin was nowhere to be found. Neither article of clothing could be traced, and no fingerprints could be lifted from the scene. Her wallet and identification were found on her person. In the garbage, police discovered a torn piece of paper. When mended, it read, "It's time to talk. Meet me at the station." The public has not yet been informed of the note's existence.

Five people have been linked with the victim as suspects.

Yamada Mikan: A 21 year old aspiring singer who works at Pop J Karaoke Box. She was the last person to see the victim alive, when she checked out of her rented space at 8:47 pm and left the building alone. Yamada is left-handed, has short, light brown hair and hazel eyes, and is 150 centimeters tall.

Kurei Nana: The victim's closest friend. The 18 year old testified that although she hadn't seen her friend in several days, she hadn't been worried. Kurei believed that no one would have a reason to harm Hitomi, who was well-liked and had no enemies. She is left-handed, is 147 centimeters tall, and has brown hair and green eyes.

Shirou Atsushi: A photographer for Fullbloom Modeling Agency. He's 23, and had been in communication with the victim about the possibility of collaborating on a photo shoot. He has long black hair and gray eyes, is about 165 centimeters tall, and is right-handed.

Kanda Jirou: The victim's boyfriend. The 20 year old said that Hara had told him she'd come visit him after she left the karaoke box, which she frequented. She said she'd return around 10 pm. He has short brown hair and blue eyes, is about 162 centimeters tall, and is left handed.

Tsu An Jan: A classmate of the victim, at Beika Arts University. She worked with Hara on multiple projects within their design courses. Tsu An had met with Hitomi that morning, to discuss their latest homework. They were together between 10 and 11 am, and she claims she didn't see the other girl again after that. Tsu An has short black hair and dark brown eyes, is right-handed, and is 155 centimeters tall.

MOTIVES:

Yamada had dated Kanda in the past. She wanted to be in a relationship with him again, but he turned her down when he met Hitomi. She claims she has since changed her mind about him.

Kanda had not been told about Hara's modeling offer. According to Kurei, he was possessive of the victim and would have demanded she turn it down. He says he wouldn't have interfered in her personal business, however.

Tsu An admitted to being jealous of the victim's talent and opportunities, as well as her high standing in their class, but claims everyone resented her a little. The victim apparently had a record of plagiarism within the school.

Kurei competed against the victim for a spot in the class at BAU. She lost the design competition and was denied entry into the school. She says that she bears no ill will against her friend, who did a better job.

Shirou's photo shoot was scheduled to take place in a bus station, but one across the city from where the victim was found. He insists that Hara refused the offer of a shoot no matter how many times he called.

ALIBIS:

Yamada was still working at the estimated time of death. She was 15 minutes away from the site of the murder. Three coworkers confirmed that she never left her post for more than 3 minutes during her shift.

Kurei was home with a severe cold. Her only witness is a neighbor who says her car never left her driveway, but she has a document from her doctor forbidding her from strenuous activity and saying not to leave the house unless it's neccessary. The trip to the station, murder, and trip back in cold weather would have been a risk to her health.

Kanda was on the phone with his brother, who lives in Gunma-chou. He was talking on his landline, and the call is recorded as happening from 8:43 pm to 9:57 pm. He would have needed 45 minutes to get to the station, commit the murder, and return home. Police suspected the brother as a possible accomplice, but he has witnesses on a video chat he was using at the same time who heard the two talking the whole time.

Tsu An was working on a clothing design project alone in her house. She showed officials clothing samples she had made between 8:00 and 10:00 pm, which were changed from their appearances in pictures on her phone and camera. Her cousin, who was sleeping upstairs in her guest bedroom, claims she's a light sleeper and Tsu couldn't have gone anywhere without waking her up.

Shirou was working through portfolios from about 8pm until nearly midnight. He called the victim from his landline at 9:12 pm and left a voicemail message in which he apologized for pestering her about the shoot and said he'd find another model. His home is 40 minutes from the site of the murder.

PART TWO:

ONE MONTH LATER:

The case has gone cold, and the suspects have continued on with their lives.

- Shirou and Kurei began to work together on a new line and photo series after they met during questioning.

- Kanda refused the money from the victim's live insurance policy, donating it to her school. He continued to study law.

- Yamada was offered a contract as a singer by Kuro Toori Record Company.

- Tsu An organized a class memorial for Hara, and completed the clothing line they'd been working on. She dedicated it to her friend with the name, Hitomi's Winter.

All five attended her funeral...

Shortly after 5 am on February 10th, police recieved a call from a distressed jogger who claimed to have discovered a woman's body in Beika Park. The victim was identified as Yamada Mikan. She had been struck from behind in the same manner as Hara, and a typed note was found on her person. It said, "I know who killed Hitomi-chan. Meet me in the park. Be careful and don't tell anyone where you're going." Again a large men's coat and sock were found. After testing objects at the scene for a luminol reaction, police discovered that several bricks bordering the gardens had come into contact with blood. From the evidence, it was surmised that the attacker lured Mikan to the park by claiming to know who killed Hitomi, and killed her by putting one of the bricks in the sock and swinging it. From the angle of impact, it seems that her attacker was taller than her and swung with their left hand from above or right hand from the side. Again there was no sign of a struggle. The motive is deemed to be related to the last murder.

ALIBIS:

Kanda was at a party from 7pm until midnight. He was picked up for underaged drinking and public intoxication soon after leaving the party. After sobering up, paying a fine, and learning of Yamada's death, he explained that he was celebrating a friend's birthday a bit too hard, and hadn't left at all that night. Several students confirmed his story.

Kurei was at the birthday party as well, although she was sober. She is one of the people who confirmed Kanda's alibi, one of two who did so and weren't drunk.

Tsu An and Shirou were out of town at a 3 day show. Shirou was the lead photographer, and Tsu An designed and modeled her line, 'Mikan's Winter.' Neither had adequate time to return to Beika and commit the murder.

PART THREE:

The next morning, Shirou was found unconscious outside the station where Hara Hitomi had been murdered. He had been stabbed in the abdomen, and was immediately sent to Beika Central Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. It appeared that once his attacker had fled, he had dragged himself out of the station to try and get help. There was no cell phone on his person with which to call the police. Gripped in his left hand was a typed note that read, "Come to where it began. The answer is yes." This was written in his blood on the folded page: 啼くんだよ

As they'd all just been released from custody, not a single suspect had an alibi and witnesses for the time of the crime, which was estimated to be at around 3 am. To prevent another attack, the three suspects have been taken into protective custody.

[PhiBrainChild 27]

This is what I was waiting for. Well, due to my sleepiness at the moment, I'll have to look at it a bit later. But I'll definitely check this.

Thanks, Sera-chan.

[Maltavite 61]

Err, this case is hardest case than my case! but possibly there's a possibility:

The cause of death was a single blow to the upper-right side of her head with a blunt object

If i know, the culprit are right handed. Anyway, did he/she hit Hitomi with something which he/or she keep the weapon after he/she commit murder?

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

It was mentioned in the second part that the weapons were just weighted objects from the areas.

Nobody knew what was used in the first attack, though~ It's not a link to the killer.

[Kaito Natake 4]

@_@ ...I has no ideaaaa...

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

xDD That's why it's unsolved~ ^^

[Kaito Natake 4]

" I guess...

[Sakila 88]

Uhhh....question: This is 啼くんだよ?

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

... I wouldn't trust the translation... I couldn't find any other Japanese for the line,

Hint:

"Mother crow cries" is what it says.

[Rye 122]

WAAAH!

What an excellent case, Shin-neechan!

I'm befuddled........

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

Um, thanks... xD

[Rye 122]

How to solve the case...how to solve the case...

BTW,

I think Kanda is the killer.

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

If this case remains unsolved at the end of the month, it will become a case in my mystery novel, "Never Forgotten."

[A L 217]

Too lazy explain but I think the killers are different for the first and second person. *yawns*

[Ren-kun 50]

Will have a go at this soon... when I'm not as cranky XD

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

Ah interesting... A question.

What was the time of death for the second person (yamada mikan)?

Oh wait another one (pardon me since my English is poor): you mentioned that the second victim was hit like the first victim - Does it mean upper right side of the head? Oh and by upper right does it mean top of the head slightly to the right side of the victim?

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

Yes, upper right is top and right side.

The estimated time of death for the second victim was between 11 pm and 11:30 pm the night before the discovery.

[Anokata-kun 7]

I think, um, I did it xD Can't deduce anything... too difficult. "

You made this a lot like the real thing.

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

Thanks Sera-kun.

Let's see...

I think that it would be much more fun if we can group up and discuss and share ideas. Solving it together would be much more interesting. Anyways... My thought process(no answer yet):

If the first victim was hit squarely on the top of the head, without much of an angle... Either the weapon was dropped on top of her, or the culprit was very much taller than she is. If that is the case, I don't think being left handed or right handed is meaningful in identifying the culprit. If the culprit is much taller, he could have also used his back hand to attack the victim (though I think this is less likely).

Anyway, if we assume that everything was done by only one person, then these are the only 3 people left:

Kurei Nana - the best friend

Kanda Jirou - the boyfriend

Tsu An Jan - the classmate

By elimination, I believe the person who have done this was Kanda Jirou, only because the rest weren't tall enough. But if we assume that both acts are done by dropping and swinging, then there is a possibility that Kurei and Tsu An Jan was the one. But Kanda was awfully suspicious since Hara Hitomi was supposed to meet him at 10pm and we're all sure she did not appear. If he has a possessive character, he would have made some calls to Hara's phone. But nothing was mentioned about that. Also, he was studying law... How could he have been caught for underage drinking and public intoxication...? At his age of 20, he should already be legally allowed. Also... Public intoxication... this could be easily avoided if he knew the law well... (Japan are relatively loose on this law) but he didn't. Highly suspicious. But if he really was drunk, then he might not have thought about that... but who knows?

Tsu An is equally suspicious though. The names of her projects seem to be based on Hitomi and Mikan. She was also the last one with Shirou. No evidence or speculations yet.

And lastly... Totally do not understand that Japanese characters. =\ The first word seems to be Chinese.

EDITS: Think this should be out of the spoiler box -

Can someone help to type out the Japanese characters in Romaji please(I need the pronounciation to understand better I think)? It would be helpful. Thanks!!!

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

The japanese says, "Mother crow cries."

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

The japanese says, "Mother crow cries."

Can we just use the English version? No difference even if the note was in English?

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

Nah, I just had it in Japanese since that's what the victim speaks~

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

Nah, I just had it in Japanese since that's what the victim speaks~

Haha I see. I thought it was familiar and I went to search.

烏は啼くの

Karasu wa naku no.

I guess I understand where it came from.

[Rukia Kurosaki 357]

Good. Then you'll understand the message~ ^^

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

Good. Then you'll understand the message~ ^^

I know where it came from. But I still don't know why it is in the message.

Except that Kuro Toori seem to sound like Kurotori - Black bird. And that both Hitomi and Yamada sings. Can't really figure it out yet. I also know that a station in Japan uses it when the train departs from the station. Or maybe black hair has something to do with it...? I dunno. Other than that, I can't come up with other explanations.

Are there any links as to where it came from and the meaning of the message?