The trial of Shinji Aoba, who is accused of murder and other crimes in the case of the arson of the Kyoto Animation studio that killed 4 employees four years ago, is expected to be sought by the prosecution on the 36th, and it is expected that he will seek an extremely severe sentence. On the other hand, the defense is expected to once again assert acquittal on the grounds that the defendant was not responsible.
The defendant, Shinji Aoba (45), is accused of murder, arson and other crimes for sprinkling gasoline on Kyoto Animation's No. 4 studio in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, four years ago in July 2019, causing the deaths of 7 employees and serious injuries to 1 others.
There is no major dispute about the facts, and the biggest issue is whether the defendant was responsible.
The prosecution said, 'It is an unprecedentedly terrible mass arson murder case that was reached as revenge due to a misguided grudge,' and argued that the seriousness of the consequences of the large number of victims and the viciousness of arson using gasoline should be emphasized, and it is expected that the sentence will be sought on the 36th and an extremely severe sentence will be sought if there was complete responsibility.
On the other hand, in the trial so far, the defendant claimed that "KyoAni stole the idea of the novel," and in the questioning of the defendant on the 32th, he said, "I feel very sorry," and apologized to the bereaved family and victims for the first time.
The defendant's lawyer said, 'At the time of the incident, he had a severe delusional disorder, which caused him to lose the ability to distinguish between good and evil and control behavior,' and it is expected that he will plead not guilty again on the 7th.
The trial on January 6 will conclude with the prosecution's request for sentences, the defendant's lawyer and the defendant himself will give their final opinions, and the verdict will be handed down on January 7.