Global InformationMurder of Michiko Okuyama information
Michiko Okuyama | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 or 1975 Yokohama, Japan |
| Died | 20 September 1997 (aged 22) Cairns, Queensland, Australia |
| Cause of death | Homicide |
| Nationality | Japanese |
Michiko Okuyama (born 1974 or 1975) was a Japanese woman whose body was discovered on 4 October 1997 after disappearing from Cairns, Queensland, Australia on 20 September 1997.[1][2] On 7 October 1997, a 16-year-old boy was detained by police during a raid on a Cairns City property and he appeared in the Cairns Children's Court the following day charged with Okuyama's murder.[3] He was convicted by a jury of murder on 23 September 1998 and was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment, becoming the first minor in Queensland to receive such a sentence.[4][5][6]
Due to his age at the time of the murder, a child having been born on 7 January 1981,[7] the killer's name can never be publicly disclosed under Queensland law.[8][9]
- ^ Michael, Peter (28 March 2015). "Lonely place to die". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ Cornford, Philip (7 October 1997). "Japanese woman abducted and killed in Cairns". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 3. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ Roberts, Greg; Skelton, Russell (8 October 1997). "Youth, 16, charged with murder of Japanese tourist". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 7. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ "Youth guilty of murdering Japanese backpacker". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 September 1998. p. 4. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ "'Heinous' murder". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 November 1998. p. 5. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ Martinelli, Pete (19 September 2018). "Michiko Okuyama's murderer could be a free man". Cairns Post. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
His sentence was the first time a minor had been ordered to serve a life term in prison.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
queenwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Scaglione, Joy (8 August 2022). "Episode 049: Michiko Okuyama". Bite Sized Crime. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ Ekert, Janessa (25 January 2019). "Body of Michiko Okuyama dumped in Cairns swamp after brutal murder". Cairns Post. Retrieved 18 April 2023.