Killer of murdered Japanese student gets life sentence, no parole for 14 years

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – William Schneider, who killed 30-year-old Natsumi Kogawa, has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years.

Kogawa, a Japanese student living in Vancouver, was killed in the fall of 2016. Schneider, 51, left her body in a suitcase outside a downtown mansion in September 2016. A jury found him guilty of second degree murder last month, which automatically carries a life sentence.

Prosecutors asked the judge to refuse parole for 17 years, but B.C. Supreme Court Justice Laura Gerow gave sentence of 14 years before Schneider is eligble to apply for parole. He’s also been sentenced to 3.5 years for interfering with human remains.

Kogawa’s mother, Emiko Kogawa, told reporters through a translator last month, she wanted him to spend as long as possible in prison and get the maximum sentence.

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Schnieder denies that he killed Kogawa, although he admits to putting her body in the suitcase.

Kogawa was in Vancouver on a student visa, and had only been here for a few months before she was murdered.

– With files from Marcella Bernardo

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