Accused rapist-murderer Tatsuya Ichihashi said in court Thursday that he did not intentionally kill Briton Lindsay Ann Hawker in March 2007 and that she died while he was preventing her from escaping.

Ichihashi, 32, is charged with rape resulting in death, murder and abandoning Hawker's corpse. Although he has admitted raping Hawker and leaving her body in a sand-filled bathtub on his apartment balcony before going on the run for 32 months, he maintains he did not intend to kill the 22-year-old English teacher.

Ichihashi's defense team also argued that the rape did not directly lead to Hawker's death, a crucial distinction that could influence his sentence should the court find him guilty.