French Court Sentences Nicolás Zepeda to Life Imprisonment for the Murder of Narumi Kurosaki

Original article: Perpetua para Zepeda: justicia francesa lo condena por el asesinato de Narumi Kurosaki

After years of judicial delays, appeals, and two previous verdicts under review, the Rhône Criminal Court in France found Nicolás Zepeda guilty of the premeditated murder of Japanese student Narumi Kurosaki and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The verdict was announced following several hours of deliberation during which the judges reviewed the final arguments from both sides. This decision not only confirms Zepeda’s responsibility for the crime but also imposes the maximum penalty allowed under the French Penal Code, surpassing the 28-year sentences handed down in previous rulings and the 30 years requested by the prosecution in this trial.

The ruling affirms Zepeda’s criminal responsibility in the case of the Japanese student, exceeding the 28 years of imprisonment stipulated in earlier judgments.

A Long Judicial Journey

The case against Nicolás Zepeda has become one of the most complex and high-profile cases in recent years in France, not only due to the nature of the crime but also because of the convoluted legal proceedings that led to the trial being repeated three times.

Zepeda had previously been sentenced in 2022 and again in 2023, both times receiving 28 years in prison. However, his defense successfully argued for the Court of Cassation of France—the highest court in judicial matters—to annul the latest ruling. The central argument for this annulment was not related to the merits of the case but rather to a procedural error: the appellate judges had not adequately responded to one of the defense’s requests, which, according to the high court, violated the defendant’s rights.

On that occasion, Zepeda’s lawyers pointed out irregularities in the legal process, specifically a PowerPoint presentation used during the trial that had not been disclosed to Zepeda’s legal team. Additionally, they claimed the victim’s defense conducted its own investigation, which is prohibited under French law.

This decision resulted in a complete retrial, culminating on Thursday. In this new trial, the prosecution, led by public prosecutor Vincent Auger, sought a 30-year sentence for premeditated murder. Nevertheless, the court took a more severe stance than what was requested by the prosecution, opting for life imprisonment instead.

The Case of Narumi Kurosaki: A Crime with No Body

The case dates back to December 5, 2016, when Narumi Kurosaki, a 21-year-old Japanese student on an academic exchange at the University of Besançon, went missing. That day, Zepeda, her ex-boyfriend, traveled from Chile to France, unexpectedly reuniting with her after they had recently ended their relationship.

According to the prosecution’s reconstruction of events, Zepeda was the last person to have contact with Narumi.

Investigations and Zepeda’s own account reveal that the two dined together on the evening of December 4 at «La Table de Gustave,» a restaurant 25 kilometers south of Besançon, before heading to Narumi’s room in a university residence.

Furthermore, Zepeda acknowledged being with Narumi that same night in her room and asserted that she was «in perfect health.» According to his statement, the last time he saw her was in the early hours of December 6, 2016.

Additionally, it was confirmed that Nicolás Zepeda sent messages to Narumi’s family and acquaintances using her phone, presumably in an effort to mislead the investigation.

One of the most contentious points in the trial, which the defense used as a cornerstone of its strategy, was the absence of the victim’s body. Throughout the three trials, Zepeda’s lawyers insisted that without a corpse, it could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Narumi Kurosaki had died, let alone that she had been murdered.

However, the prosecution maintained that there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to establish the crime, a position validated by the French justice system.