US EditionFrench Court Sentences Chilean to Life for Murdering Japanese Ex-Girlfriend in 2016
Nicolas Zepeda was convicted for the premeditated strangulation of Narumi Kurosaki, whose body remains missing, with the court citing stalking and threatening behavior as motive.
- On Thursday, March 26, a French court in Lyon sentenced Chilean national Nicolas Zepeda to life in prison for the 2016 murder of Japanese student Narumi Kurosaki.
- Prosecutors argued Zepeda could not accept Kurosaki ending their relationship after she moved to Besancon, leading him to spy on her for four days before the December 4, 2016, murder.
- Presiding judge Eric Chalbos stated the court found Zepeda guilty "beyond all doubt" of the premeditated crime, likely committed "by suffocation" or "probably by strangulation or smothering."
- Zepeda, who has maintained his innocence since being extradited from Chile in 2020, listened to the verdict with his face in his hands; his lawyer confirmed plans to appeal.
- The case remains complex because Kurosaki's body was never found, with her mother, Mrs. Taeko Kurosaki, attending the proceedings in Lyon following a previous 28-year sentence.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Nicolás Zepeda was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime of his former partner, Narumi Kurosaki, in the third trial in France in the case.Breve history of the caseThis is the third conviction against him, after two previous trials (in 2022 and 2023) in which he had been sentenced to 28 years in prison.However, these proceedings were overturned by the French Court of Cassation for procedural problems, w…
Nicolas Zepeda was tried in Lyon for the murder of his former girlfriend, Narumi Kurosaki. The young Japanese woman disappeared in Besançon in 2016 and her body was never found. The Lyon Court of Appeal sentenced the accused to life imprisonment on Thursday. - Assassination of Narumi Kurosaki: Nicolas Zepeda sentenced on appeal to life imprisonment (Police, justice and other facts).
His trial has been held in Lyon since 17 March 2026. Chilean Nicolas Zepeda was found guilty of the murder of his former girlfriend Narumi Kurosaki. The jury sentenced him to life imprisonment, a more severe sentence than his previous convictions in first and second instance.
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