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Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty in Kyoto Animation Arson Case
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
Meanwhile, the defense is seeking for Aoba's acquittal or a reduced sentence, arguing that he was suffering from delusions at the time of the attack.
But the prosecutors have argued that even though Aoba may have been deluded, he can still be held fully responsible for his actions. According to the prosecutors, Aoba wrongly believed that Kyoto Animation had plagiarized a novel he submitted in a contest to the company.
The focus of the trial is to determine whether Aoba could be deemed mentally competent to take responsibility for the attack.
The Kyoto District Court started the main trial for the arson murder case on September 5. The trial has 32 total hearings, ending in December, and the court is scheduled to announce its verdict on January 25. The Kyoto District Court started pre-trial proceedings on May 8.
On July 18, 2019, a devastating fire broke out at Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building. A total of 70 people were inside the building at the time. In addition to the victims inside the building, a man in his 40s on his way to work in the area suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation.
Kyoto Prefectural Police apprehended the then 41-year-old Aoba (now 45), who allegedly used gasoline to start the fire. Aoba allegedly bought 40 liters of gasoline in two canisters and used a cart to transport the gasoline to Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building. Japanese prosecutors formally indicted the suspect in December 2020.
Demolition work on Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building concluded in April 2020. The studio started recruiting again in July 2020.
A documentary featuring Dr. Takahiro Ueda, the doctor responsible for caring for Aoba, aired on September 1 in Japan, four days before the trial started.
Sources: The Mainichi, NHK World
