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Kyoto Court Sentences Man to Death in Kyoto Animation Arson Case (Updated)
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The prosecutors for the case announced their intent to seek the death penalty for Aoba in December 2023, while the defense's main argument focused on a reduced sentence or acquittal, arguing that Aoba was not in a sound mental state during his attack. Thursday's trial focused on hearing arguments on this matter, but the judge deemed Aoba criminally liable.
The Kyoto District Court started the main trial for the arson murder case in September last year, with pre-trial proceedings starting in May 2023. The court had 32 total hearings.
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. Aoba himself had extensive burns all over his body from the fire.
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.
Update: The defense representing Aoba filed an appeal on Friday. Source: Livedoor News via My Game News Flash
Sources: NHK, Japan Times (Kanako Takahara)
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