As a former Vernon man awaits a decision on his appeal in the 2016 murder of Japanese exchange student Natsumi Kogawa, a Vancouver friend who got to know Natsumi before her death says it’s time the public heard her story.
Christopher Meisner says “there is no way” Natsumi would have dated the homeless, career criminal and unemployed Willy Schneider.
He says the quiet, thoughtful woman never took drugs and was only being polite in her public interactions with the man convicted in her death.
The disappearance of Natsumi in September 2016 and discovery 16 days later of her naked body – stuffed inside a suitcase outside the empty Gabriola House mansion in Vancouver – made national headlines.
William Victor Schneider was convicted by jury in October 2018 of second-degree murder in Natsumi’s death. He also pleaded guilty to interfering with human remains.
Schneider was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years.
Natsumi, who was 30 at the time of her death, was by all accounts a studious, intelligent, cautious and friendly woman.
Meisner says he met Natsumi outside his office when ushering her away from her eventual killer, who was a regular hang-about at his downtown property, where he would loiter and sometimes panhandle.
Meisner says he had dealt with Schneider for years.
Speaking of Natsumi, he said: “She was an extremely smart gal, studying constantly … Nothing Schneider says about their ‘time together’ adds up. Nothing,” says Meisner.
“I met Nat in early June 2016. I approached her to usher her away from Schneider, who was loitering on our property that day – again. She didn't see him and he didn't see her, but I saw them both. I really don't know why, on a clear level, why I approached Nat, but I did. Instinct?”
Meisner says “there was a very unique energy around her.”
He believes Schneider took advantage of Natsumi’s friendliness.
“Natsumi would never agree to a ‘sex date’ (as Schneider had characterized it) upon meeting a homeless, unemployed, drug-using casual acquaintance. Never, period. Schneider's idea of a date was to buy crystal meth and share it with Nat.”
Natsumi was raised in Aomori, Japan. She has five brothers. Her mother, Emiko, still resides in Aomori and runs a shop there.
In a country where employment for life with one company is commonplace, Meisner says Natsumi approached a Tokyo / Vancouver based Agency that assisted Japanese citizens to study in Canada.
“Natsumi wanted to change the direction of her life … she walked out of her job with a large Tokyo company."
“She was well travelled and very intelligent. She was also very, very kind … a real pleasure to meet.”
At first, she lived in Vancouver, but later moved to Burnaby, where she had two young ESL housemates.
Her world would collide with Schneider’s seemingly by chance, as he would hang around some of her favoured study spots downtown and the Harbour Centre food court.
When Meisner had lunch with Natsumi and some other ESL students, he was shocked to learn they all knew “William, some homeless guy,” when he walked into the coffee shop they were at.
“I heard a few girls groan and roll their eyes as though they were well aware of him and did not like him,” he recalled.
After just three meetings Schneider characterized as ‘dates’, Natsumi’s life would end.
The last would come on Sept. 8, 2016, when they walked to the Davie St. Gabriola mansion where her body would be found.
Security camera images of the two walking through the downtown Harbour Centre Vancouver mall were splashed across the media after her disappearance.
It’s believed Natsumi died from asphyxiation, although her body was too decomposed to make a positive determination. Sedatives were found in her system, sedatives Schneider had a prescription for that summer.
She was reported missing on Sept. 12, her body found Sept. 28.
“Nat was not naive nor did she lack situational awareness. She was raised to be non-judgmental and exercised that attitude in her decision to go out downtown for a few hours that day. It resulted in her death,” said Meisner.
