Here is a collection of true crime stories from different countries and time periods that defy simple description. They include:
⢠The strange tale of a psychotic geisha who severed her loverâs genitals to carry as a token of her love and who inspired a cult following
⢠How a small-town murderer helped inspire the movie Psycho and left his hometown with a reputation they never lived down
⢠A father who sacrificed his daughter to prove his faith in God and his followers who fully expected her to be raised on the third day (she wasnât)
⢠A Sorbonne graduate student who killed and cannibalized the woman he loved and went on to become a bizarre media celebrity
⢠The assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy you never heard about but which very nearly succeeded.
⢠How mob boss Vincent Gigante earned himself the nickname of âthe Oddfatherâ
⢠Leonarda Cianciulli, the Corregio âSoapmakerâ who killed three women as a sacrifice to protect her own children.
These stories, and more, are all featured here making this book a must for any connoisseur of true crime and bizarre justice.
Here is a collection of true crime stories from different countries and time periods that defy simple description. They include:
⢠The strange tale of a psychotic geisha who severed her loverâs genitals to carry as a token of her love and who inspired a cult following
⢠How a small-town murderer helped inspire the movie Psycho and left his hometown with a reputation they never lived down
⢠A father who sacrificed his daughter to prove his faith in God and his followers who fully expected her to be raised on the third day (she wasnât)
⢠A Sorbonne graduate student who killed and cannibalized the woman he loved and went on to become a bizarre media celebrity
⢠The assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy you never heard about but which very nearly succeeded.
⢠How mob boss Vincent Gigante earned himself the nickname of âthe Oddfatherâ
⢠Leonarda Cianciulli, the Corregio âSoapmakerâ who killed three women as a sacrifice to protect her own children.
These stories, and more, are all featured here making this book a must for any connoisseur of true crime and bizarre justice.
On May 18, 1936, Sada Abe strangled her lover, Kichizo Ishida, to death. After lying with the body for several hours, she took a kitchen knife and severed his genitals. The 31-year-old former geisha wrapped the bizarre keepsakes in a magazine cover before using her loverâs blood to write Sada, Kichi Futari-kiri ("Sada, Kichi together") on his left thigh and a bedsheet. She then carved her name into his left arm, got dressed, and walked out of the room at the Tokyo inn where they had been staying. As she left, she instructed the hotel staff not to disturb Ishida.Â
Shortly afterward, Sada went to see a politically prominent former lover, Goro Amiya, and apologized to him repeatedly. Though Amiya had no idea why she was apologizing, the repentant Sada was likely aware that he faced political ruin over the adverse publicity surrounding her involvement with him. And she was right.
Born to a well-to-do Tokyo family in 1905, Sada Abe (or Abe Sada depending on the naming tradition used) was doted on by her mother, who encouraged her to be free-spirited and independent. At the age of fifteen, an acquaintance raped her. While her parents supported her through the investigation that followed, Sada was never the same.
Sada became uncontrollable, and her father sold her to a geisha house in Yokohama, although family members later disagreed as to why. Sada later maintained that it was punishment for her promiscuous behavior, but her sister would insist she had been perfectly willing. Becoming an accomplished geisha was a mark of distinction for Japanese women of the time, and Sada often expressed her wish to pursue this lifestyle. Whatever Sada believed about the glamorous life of a geisha, the reality proved very different.
She contracted syphilis from a client during her work and was soon forced to work as a prostitute in Osaka's brothel district. Unfortunately, the life of a licensed prostitute posed more problems than she could deal with, and she eventually drifted towards unlicensed prostitution (with all the usual dangers).
After both her parents died, Sada became even more unrestrained.. In 1934, police raided the brothel where she worked and disrupted her life once again. Â With no other options, Sada became the mistress of the brothel ownerâs well-connected friend of a friend. A string of other lovers soon followed as she tried to leave prostitution entirely. In 1936, Sada became an apprentice in a restaurant in an attempt to start a new life. And this was where she met Kichizo Ishida.
Ishida was the nominal owner of the Yoshidaya restaurant where Sada worked, though his wife ran the business. Fourty-two-year-old Ishida was a frequent womanizer bored with his marriage, and it didn't take long for him to take notice of his free-spirited apprentice. Even though Sada was involved with Goro Omiya at the time, she didn't hesitate when the handsome Ishida approached her (she would later say that "I never met such a sexy man"). Their lovemaking bouts were legendary and often lasted for days. Whatever Ishida's plans, Sada found herself falling in love with him, possibly for the first time in her life. But just being his mistress wasn't enough for her. Sada wanted to be his wife, and the idea of sharing him with another woman infuriated her.
As Ishida lost interest, Sada grew more despondent and began drinking heavily. Inspired by a play that she had seen featuring a geisha threatening a lover with a knife, Sada bought a large kitchen knife and threatened Ishida with it at their next meeting. Ishida, amused by her threats, took her off to an inn in the Ogu red light district for their next lovemaking marathon.
The account of what followed  is mainly based on Sada's testimony. After two days of lovemaking, she then decided to try something different. Sada took off the belt from her kimono and strangled Ishida in an apparent attempt at autoerotic asphyxiation. Her lover reportedly enjoyed the experience and then suggested that she try it while he slept. On May 18, she did just that and strangled him to death. Whether this was intentional or not is open to debate. In her statement to police, Sada said she felt a "sense of clarity" when she realized he was dead. After cutting off her lover's genitals, she put on his underwear and left the inn at 8:00 am. A maid found the mutilated body sometime later, and the hunt for Sada Abe began.
There was a nationwide panic due to lurid media accounts describing the deranged Sada being at large. Goro Omiya got swept up in the media frenzy, and his political career was doomed. At the same time, reported sightings came in from all over Japan, though Sada never left Osaka. She checked into a local inn under an assumed name, where she reportedly made plans to commit suicide. Police confronted Sada in her hotel room on May 20 after receiving a tip. She gave up immediately, and Ishida's severed genitals were discovered in her handbag, still wrapped in the magazine cover.
News of Sada's capture generated headlines nationwide and was even announced in Japan's National Diet. Given the political upheavals of the time, the bizarre sex scandal made for a welcome diversion. The public consumed every lurid detail in the statement she provided police.Â
Police continued interrogating Sada Abe to understand why she had killed Ishida and mutilated him in such a manner. In the statement she made, Sada said of Ishida, "I loved him so much, I wanted him all to myself. But since we were not husband and wife, as long as he lived, he could be embraced by other women. I knew that if I killed him, no other woman could ever touch him again, so I killed him....." Asked why she cut off his genitals, she replied, "Because I couldn't take his head or body with me. I wanted to take the part of him that brought back to me the most vivid memories."Â
The people of Japan remained fascinated with the case, even though there was little international attention. While murders due to jealousy were hardly uncommon, the strange story of the geisha-turned-harlot who killed out of love mesmerized the Japanese public. Sadaâs trial began on November 25, 1936, and crowds gathered hours before the courthouse even opened, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. To hide from the gawkers, Sada wore a bizarre conical hat when entering and leaving the courtroom to conceal her face.
Eager reporters relayed as much of her sensational testimony as government censors allowed--even one of the three judges who tried her case later admitted to being sexually aroused by the explicit details. Considering the conservative nature of Japanese society at the time, Sada's testimony, which became a bestseller afterward, was explosive. One leading newspaper described the fascination with the case as "Sada mania," and many of the young women who watched the case became known as "Sada fans."
The media furor didn't focus on Sada alone. Goro Omiya resigned from his political and academic posts and disappeared from public view. Kichizo Ishida's wife was devastated by her husband's death, although she could hardly have been unaware of his womanizing. She managed to keep the Yoshidaya restaurant open, and it ironically flourished thanks to the caseâs notoriety. Even the inn where the murder occurred attracted eager customers, with many couples specifically requesting the room where Ishida had died.
Though many spectators hoped for a lengthy trial, Sada Abe quickly pleaded guilty to the charges against her. Numerous witnesses took the stand, including Sada's sister, and Ishida's severed genitals were displayed as evidence. There was no question of the verdict, only the sentence she would receive. Sada hoped for the death penalty to join Ishida, but the prosecution asked for a ten-year sentence.
Whatever the public expected, it shocked everyone in the courtroom when Sada only received six years in prison. In handing down the sentence, the judge explained his decision by stressing Ishida's role in the events leading up to his death. He also discussed Sada's mental state at the time. Even though Sada objected, her lawyer insisted that his client was insane at the time of the murder. The judge concluded that the sentence would allow Sada to rehabilitate herself in prison and start a new life upon release. Since she never committed another crime, he was probably right.
Sada's time in prison represented the most stable period of her life. She would later describe the prison staff as "loving and caring people" and felt part of a community. Even with a few setbacks (especially on the first anniversary of Ishida's death), she was a model prisoner and studied Buddhist philosophy. Sada was released on November 10, 1940, having served only four years due to her good behavior. Unfortunately, she soon learned that her problems were just beginning.
Sada lived under an alias but still found public fascination with her case made a new life impossible. Since she left prison without any real income, she lived with her sister and brother-in-law for a time, but wartime rationing forced her to support herself. Under the name "Yoshii Masako," Sada went to work as a maid but was fired after her employers learned her identity. A "serious man" then asked her to become his mistress, and she reluctantly accepted. This relationship ended after several years when his family learned who she was.
Sada realized that her name became "poisonous" and was distressed that the public thought of her as a "sex pervert,â though this sentiment would change over time as postwar attitudes concerning sexuality became more liberalized. Few occupations were open to her as a notorious woman living alone, and the stigma of her past continued to haunt her. She sued the author of a scandalous book based on supposed interviewsâa case later settled out of courtâand published her autobiography in 1948.
After years of living in semi-anonymity working in pubs and restaurants, Sada finally managed to drop out of sight. She was last seen in 1970; there are no verified details about her later life. Occasional rumors of her suicide or entering a convent sprang up, but nothing was ever confirmed, and there is no known death date. However, someone continued leaving flowers on Kichizo Ishida's grave until 1987.
Despite her disappearance, the fascination with Sada's case never ended. Her life is the subject of non-fiction books, novels, psychoanalytic essays, and movies. The 1976 erotic classic, The Realm of the Senses, is probably the best-known of the three films made about her life. Its explicit sex scenes and gruesome ending caused it to be banned or censored worldwide, but it introduced viewers to a bizarre case that is largely unknown outside of Japan (and itâs certainly how I came to be aware of it.) Still, her case provides a graphic example of the changing sexual climate of the past eighty years. For that alone, Sada Abe was a pioneer in many ways.
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WARNING: Book contains graphic content of horrendous crimes. My review does speak of those.Â
There are 36 true crime short stories in True Crime Stories You Won't Believe: A Cavalcade of Chaotic Justice by Romeo Vitelli. Most of the people involved in the murders (the accused) were a mystery to me. There was one notable nameâLizzie Borden. Her crimes are notorious.Â
The other crimes depicted in the other stories were gruesome, brutal, and 100% horrific. Some crimes were disgusting for various reasons. Several stories dealt with cannibalism. Ugh, I can't fathom anyone eating human flesh.Â
There were a lot of shocking crimes committed by some very sick people, but "Selling Ed Gein" probably shocked and grossed me out the most. Headless victims, lampshades made from human skin, shoeboxes filled with female genitalia, belt with nipples, a collection of noses, and a cereal bowl made from a human skull. This man was a true Psycho!
Arsenic was the most common poison used to kill a person.Â
Dr. Arthur also used viruses to slay his wife and in-laws.Â
On more than one, the accused will play the insanity card. Okay, some were obviously off their rocker. Insanity pleas were not always accepted. Instead, a judge issued many to death.Â
Kenneth's case interested me the most. He killed his mother-in-law due to a sleeping condition called somnambulism. In a "twilight state," a person can engage in many complex activities usually only seen in a waking state. That would have been a difficult trial to be a juror on. I bet many wondered if he was faking it or not to get away with murder.Â
I've only touched upon a few of the many stories featured in True Crime Stories You Won't Believe: A Cavalcade of Chaotic Justice. If you decide to read the collection, be prepared for graphic crimes against humanity.Â
From childhood to adulthood, you'll meet people that are pure evil.Â