12.09.07

Japanese Wannabe Convicted of 2 Murders

Posted in Crime, Offbeat at 6:20 pm by telly_wong

He Thinks He’s Turning Japanese:
Convicted Murderer and Imaginary Ninja Master Steven Sakai

In New York, a former strip club bouncer who was obsessed with Japanese culture –particularly sword fighting and ninjas– was convicted last Friday of murdering two people in 2005.

The bouncer, born Steven Sanders, was apparently so smitten by the Land of the Rising Sun that he even changed his last name to the Japanese surname “Sakai”.

But here’s where things get really wacky: During his testimony, Sakai adopted a thick Japanese accent, which included mispronouncing his L’s and R’s. This is despite the fact that Sakai was born in Queens and has never left the country.

Perhaps an inspiration for Mr. Sakai?

Nevertheless, Sakai’s bizarre behavior left many in the courtroom baffled, with lawyers, stenographers, clerks and officers debating about the authenticity of the accent and wondering why his mother didn’t share it. There were also plans to test Sakai’s knowledge of Japanese, which were later abandoned.

During his testimony, Sakai claimed the police injected him with drugs and that he also took secret flights overseas to compete in martial arts tournaments.

After years of enduring Asian kids “acting Black”, I guess it’s refreshing to see someone from the African American community returning the love.

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