News about the murder of Vietnamese international students in Japan

According to the judgment, Cruz Cabrera Brian Alberto (27 years old), Dominican national, hit the head of Vietnamese youth TTA (then 21 years old) at Ebisubashi in Minami, Osaka in August 2021, then added a kick that caused The victim fell into the Dotonbori River and died.

In previous trials, Alberto defended himself, saying he was “only doing it in self-defence”. In the ruling on June 6, the Osaka District Court said, “The assault from the victim triggered the defendant’s assault and it was a legitimate self-defense. But after the victim was exhausted, Alberto again continued to assault and pushed the victim into the river. It was a violent attack.” Therefore, the court sentenced Alberto to 12 years in prison, lower than the level recommended by the Procuracy.

The culprit who pushed the Vietnamese youth into the Japanese river received the final judgment

On the evening of August 2, 2021, Japanese and Vietnamese social networks stirred up before a video recorded the scene of two men struggling on the Ebisu bridge. The perpetrator beat and pushed the victim into the water. At that time, many people witnessed the incident without anyone interfering.

On August 3, Osaka police issued an official document about the incident to the Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka. The victim is Mr. TTA, born in 1999, Vietnamese nationality.

At 13:34 on August 5, suspect Cabrera Brian Alberto was arrested and kept silent while waiting for a lawyer. Police said the man was unemployed and had no stable place to live. Before the murder, Alberto also had a good time drinking beer with the victim and some other young people.

After the victim was pushed down the bridge, rescuers arrived at the scene after 20 minutes but still could not save his life. A police source said the cause of death was drowning, but the autopsy revealed multiple bruises on the victim’s head and neck. Suspect Alberto was arrested at a hotel in Nishinari after police extracted security cameras and relied on witness statements.