The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a death-row inmate's appeal against lower court rulings that found him guilty of murdering a couple during a robbery in 1991, effectively finalizing his death sentence.

Presiding Justice Toshifumi Motohara, of the top court's No. 3 petty bench, ruled that Kozo Segawa, 54, was responsible for shooting dead a company president and his wife in Toyama Prefecture and robbing them of 12 million yen in May 1991.

"The crime was premeditated and based on a strong intention to kill the couple," Motohara said. "The accused made a sudden attack on unarmed people and brutally killed them. The death sentence is unavoidable considering his serious criminal liability and the leading role he played in the murder."

The ruling will be finalized in 10 days if no objections are filed.

According to the rulings, Segawa, the former administrative head of a dental clinic, conspired with an unemployed man to kill Shoichi Saeda, the 54-year-old head of a temporary staff firm, and his wife Chieko, 37, and steal cash from their home.

At around 4 a.m. on May 7, 1991, the two broke into Saeda's home and escaped with a bag containing about 12 million yen in cash after Segawa shot the sleeping couple.

Saeda, who lived in the prefectural capital, was an acquaintance of Segawa. The unemployed man, now 49, was convicted for his role in the murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Toyama District Court sentenced Segawa to death in July 1993, and the Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya High Court rejected his appeal in March 1997.