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Tomohiro Katō Loses 1st Appeal Over Akihabara Killings
posted on by Ko Ransom
On Wednesday, the Tokyo High Court announced its verdict for the initial (Koso) appeal by 29-year-old Tomohiro Katō, upholding Katō's death sentence. Katō was sentenced to death for killing seven and injuring 10 in a hit-and-run stabbing rampage in Tokyo's otaku shopping district of Akihabara (Akiba) in 2008. Katō's defense argued that he may have been of unsound mind at the time of the killings due to a mental disorder, but the court upheld his responsibility for the crimes.
Katō did not appear in court during the appeal proceedings, reportedly upsetting a bereaved parent who stated that his choice was an insult to the victims and their families, and it showed a lack of remorse. Japanese law allows for a final appeal to the Supreme Court, but such appeals may be rejected before they are heard.
Source: Sankei News via Otakomu
