Issei Sagawa: Murderer Cannibal Celebrity

Issei Sagawa is an unassuming man, standing at a height of less than 5'. He is a published author of four novels, he's written a regular column for a local tabloid, illustrated a comic book, is a local celebrity in Japan, and was the inspiration for the song "Too Much Blood" by the Rolling Stones. He is also a convicted murderer and cannibal, who freely admitted to his crimes.

Coming from a wealthy family, Issei Sagawa was given every opportunity to lead a normal, healthy life. He attended college at the University of Paris, and his father, Akira Sagawa, was president of Kurita Water Industries in Tokyo. Yet, Sagawa felt an overwhelming urge to consume another human being. After his capture, he was quoted as saying, 'I was determined to eat someone before I was too old, before my passion died out.' On June 1, 1981, he did just that.

At the age of 32, Issei Sagawa could no longer repress his desire to kill. He asked fellow classmate, Renee Hartevel, to dinner, knowing that she would never leave alive. She made the fatal mistake of accepting his invitation, and when she arrived at his home, he shot and killed her. He then ate her remains. But that, sadly, is not the most shocking part of the story. What is most alarming regarding the crimes of Issei Sagawa is that, although the authorities found human remains in his home, and Sagawa fully admitted to the horrific crimes, he was only put away for five years, three of which were served in a mental institution.

Issei Sagawa was held for two years, without a trial, and was then deemed legally insane and unfit to stand trial by a French judge. He was then extradited to Japan, where he spent three years in a mental institution. However, after he was evaluated by psychologists at Matsuzawa hospital, he was declared to be sane. It was additionally noted that although he was technically sane, Sagawa was found to be 'evil' by the evaluating psychological team. He was released as a free man on August 12, 1986. But that, too, is not the most shocking part of the story.

After his release, Sagawa was embraced by the Japanese community. He became an unsuspecting celebrity, making public appearances on local talk shows and radio, telling his personal account of what it was like to kill and eat another human being, and making a living from the murder of Renee Hartevelt. He was hired as a food critic by the Japanese magazine Spa, where he rates and reviews local restaurants. Over the years, he has written four novels, one of which details the crimes he committed, appeared in several pornographic movies, sold self-portraits and oil paintings, published comic books, and guest stars on several local television and radio spots. The Rolling Stones even wrote a song inspired by the crimes of Issei Sagawa titled 'Too Much Blood'. Here is a small sample of the lyrics: 'You know he took her to his apartment, cut off her head. Put the rest of her body in the refrigerator, ate her piece by piece.'

The crimes of Issei Sagawa have made him famous. He is often referred to as 'The Celebrity Cannibal' by the media. People pay their hard-earned money for a lock of his hair, or his signature on a sheet of paper. The family of Renee Hartevelt have never received an apology, or any of the money made by Sagawa from his fame.

SOURCES:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/weird/sagawa/11.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issei_Sagawa

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/TOO-MUCH-BLOOD-lyrics-The-Rolling-Stones/A2DA738599EF63074825689A002A43F4