True Crime Friday: Kiyotaka Katsuta, the Fire Fighter Serial Killer
Kiyotaka Katsuta was born in a rural area of Japan. He was born August 29, 1948, to a middle-class couple. Before becoming one of Japan’s most infamous serial killers he was a fire fighter hero. He was praised for saving many lives as a fire fighter. He even became a hero legend in Japan. He appeared on a game show with his wife while he was committing murders. Kiyotaka Katsuta was a burglar and rapist before becoming a killer. Kiyotaka Katsuta stole from wealthy homes to less wealthy homes to finance the lifestyle that he always dreamt about. The exact number of murders he committed is unknown. He killed his victims by strangling and shooting them. Although the exact number of his victims is unknown, it is expected that he murdered at least twenty-two people during his reign of terror.
The Early Childhood of Kiyotaka Katsuta
During Kiyotaka Katsuta formative years he did not have much parental guidance. Both of his parents worked outside the home leaving him to his own devices. His father was said to be very abusive to him. Other than being abused and neglected at home he did not display typical serial killer behavior such as killing animals. Kiyotaka Katsuta was said to be a bit of a loner. Kiyotaka was in his thirties when he began killing, which is odd for serial killer standards. Generally, serial killers begin in their early to late teens. They tend to fantasize about it for years before actually acting upon the fantasy. I doubt that these were his first victims. However, we will never know.The Victims of Kiyotaka Katsuta
- Hiroko Nakamura, 24
- Reiko Fujishiro, 33
- Teruko Ito, 32
- Akiko Masuda, 28
- Yoshiko Shikina , 33
- Hiromasa Inoue, 25
- Ichiro Honma, 35
- Mitsuharu Kamiyama, 27
The Unknown Victims of Kiyotaka Katsuta
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During Katsuta's killing spree, he appeared on television shows and won multiple awards. There was a 1984 film based on his crimes. In the film, the murderer was named Kiyoshi Tatsuta. Ironically, the actor that played him in the movie had a criminal record of his own but not for being a serial killer. There is a dark side to Japan. In America, there is a myth that there are no poor Asians. That every Asian has money or comes from a middle class to upper middle-class background. Japan has poor areas like any other country. His parents were poor but managed to move into the middle class when his father opened a business when Kiyotaka Katsuta became a teen.