After killing Hartevelt, Sagawa spent many days dismembering, eating, and engaging in necrophilia on her body.
Sagawa was taken into custody and sent to Japan, but because of the relevant legislation and the way his case was handled by the courts in France and Japan, he was controversially freed without charge after two years of pre-trial incarceration. Sagawa gained international attention as a result of his post-release fame in Japan.
Issei Sagawa’s early years
Issei Sagawa, born on 26 April 1949 in Kobe, Prefecture, was a young man with a strong interest in literature. His father, Akira Sagawa, was a businessman and editor for The Asahi Shimbun. Sagawa was born prematurely and suffered from enteritis, a small intestine disease. Despite his fragile health, he developed a strong interest in literature. Sagawa experienced cannibalistic desires in the first grade and committed bestiality to his dog. He attended Wako University and completed a master’s degree in English Literature at Kwansei Gakuin University.
At Wako University in Tokyo, Sagawa, a 24-year-old student, attempted rape by following a tall German woman home. He broke into her apartment while she was sleeping, intending to cannibalize her by slicing off part of her buttocks. However, she awoke and thwarted his attack, pushing him to the ground. Sagawa was captured and charged with attempted rape, but his true intentions were not disclosed. His charges were dropped when his father paid a settlement to the victim. Sagawa moved to France at 28 to pursue a Ph.D. in literature at the Sorbonne.
Renée Hartevelt’s murder
In 1981, Sagawa, a 32-year-old Sorbonne student, invited his Dutch classmate, Renée Hartevelt, to dinner for a school assignment. Sagawa planned to kill and eat Hartevelt, claiming he lacked health and beauty.
After shooting her in the neck, Sagawa realized he had to carry out his plan. He consumed various parts of Hartevelt’s body, eating most of her breasts, face, buttocks, feet, thighs, and neck either raw or cooked. He also took photographs of Hartevelt’s body at each eating stage.
Once the remains of Hartevelt’s corpse started decomposing, Sagawa attempted to dump the remains in a lake in Bois de Boulogne Park, carrying her dismembered body parts in two suitcases. However, he was caught in the act and arrested by French police four days later. Sagawa’s actions were a stark reminder of the dangers of consuming and consuming others, as well as the importance of respecting the boundaries of one’s sexuality. Sagawa, a wealthy Japanese man, was found legally insane and unfit to stand trial by French judge Jean-Louis Bruguière. After publishing his account in Japan, he was deported to Japan, where he was committed to Matsuzawa Hospital. After charges were dropped, French court documents were sealed, and Sagawa remained free until his death, despite widespread criticism.
After the release
Sagawa, a French author, was a frequent guest speaker and commentator between 1986 and 1997. He appeared in Hisayasu Sato’s exploitation film Uwakizuma: Chijokuzeme in 1992 as a sado-sexual voyeur. Sagawa wrote books about his murder and the 1997 Kobe child murders and wrote restaurant reviews for Japanese magazine Spa. However, he struggled to find publishers and employment. Despite being nearly accepted by a French language school, employees protested and he was rejected.
Sagawa, a notorious murderer and cannibal, was forced to move into public housing after his parents died in 2005. Despite receiving welfare benefits, Sagawa faced terrible punishment for his crime. In 2013, he suffered a cerebral infarction, permanently damaging his nervous system. He lived alone and required daily assistance from his younger brother or caregivers, claiming to regret his obsession.
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