Tatsuya Ichihashi Killed Lindsay Hawker then Reconstructed His Face

Tatsuya Ichihashi, a 28-year-old Japanese man, murdered 22-year-old Lindsay Ann Hawker, a British teacher, in Japan during the beginning of 2007. Lindsay Ann Hawker was born on December 30, 1984.

The Beginning

Lindsay Hawker was born in Coventry, England, to Bill and Julia Hawker. She attended King Henry VIII School in Coventry and went on to study biology at the University of Leeds, where she graduated with honors in 2006.

Despite her plans to pursue a Master's degree, she began teaching English in Japan in October 2006 at the Koiwa, Tokyo branch of Nova — Japan's largest private English conversation school at the time. She shared a room with two other female international teachers.

Lindsay's Killer, Tatsuya Ichihashi

Ichihashi was 28 years old when he murdered murdered in 2007.

His mother is a dentist, while his father is a doctor. Ichihashi did not work after graduating from university in 2005 and lived on a monthly allowance of roughly 100,000 yen — around $760 at the time — from his parents.

Hawker was accosted by Ichihashi as she rode the train home from work. He initially claimed she was his English teacher even though she wasn't. As she rode her bicycle home, Ichihashi pursued her and when she got there, he requested a glass of water.

She felt bad for him and let him into her apartment, but as a safety measure she showed him to her two roommates. While inside, Ichihashi drew a portrait of her and added his name, contact information, and email address to the drawing. The Nova school gave permission for the two to meet up for an English lesson in a cafe four days later.

The Meeting That Led To The Attack

On Saturday, March 24, 2007, Hawker and Ichihashi met in a cafe.

They then took a taxi to Ichihashi's flat, which was a short distance away. Hawker walked to the apartment after telling the cab driver to wait a short while. She didn't come back and the cab driver left after seven minutes.

On the balcony of the apartment, Hawker's naked body was later discovered buried in a tub filled with sand and compost dirt. Her hands were outside the mixture and she had been bound and gagged with plastic ties and scarves.

He strangled and broke her neck, then shaved her head before burying her in the tomb.

In the days following Hawker's death, the media reported that Ichihashi buried her in sand, but he actually buried the body in a mixture of sand and compost soil, then sprayed it with a liquid meant to compact and decompose garbage.

He was planning on either burying the body in concrete or waiting for it to decay. Ichihashi had purchased the items over the course of six visits to his neighborhood hardware store in the hours preceding up to the police arrival on March 26.

Nova reported Hawker missing at 2:30 p.m. on March 26 after she failed to teach her lessons on March 25 and 26.

Crime Investigation

Nova reported Hawker missing at 2:30 p.m. on March 26 after she failed to teach her lessons on March 25 and 26.

Investigators believe Ichihashi moved his bathtub from the bathroom to the balcony and placed Hawker's body in it between Sunday night and early Monday morning. During that time, neighbors reported hearing noises of something striking metal and something being dragged. On Tuesday, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Ichihashi on suspicion of abandoning Hawker's body, and he was placed on the national wanted list.

Ichihashi's wanted poster was updated with an upgraded image of the culprit masquerading as a woman. They also shared photos of Hawker's artwork, hoping that someone might recognize the drawing style.

Arrest and Sentencing of The Criminal

Police revealed on November 4, 2009, that Ichihashi underwent plastic surgery on October 24, 2009, at a facility in Nagoya, where he had his nose elevated.

Before visiting the Nagoya facility, he had evidently undergone cosmetic surgery to remove two moles on his cheek, add a fold to his eyelids, thin both lips, and boost the height of his nose.

A photograph taken right before his latest surgery was leaked to the press by police.

Ichihashi was arrested in Osaka on November 10, 2009, while attempting to board a ship to Okinawa.

Ichihashi was apprehended in Osaka on November 10, 2009, while attempting to board a ship to Okinawa.

Ichihashi was sentenced to life in prison for Hawker's murder by the Chiba District Court on July 21, 2011.

In Japan, being sentenced to death for killing only one person is extremely rare. In 2010, less than ten of Japan's 111 death row convicts had killed only one victim.