The Kyoto District Court has sentenced to death Shinji Aoba, 45-year-old, convicted of setting fire to the Kyoto Animation studio in July 2019, killing 36 employees and seriously or slightly injuring 32 others. The judge, Keisuke Masuda, found that the defendant “was neither insane nor feeble-minded” and acknowledged that he had the capacity to assume criminal responsibility, which was the main point of contention.
According to the verdict, on July 18, 2019, the defendant set fire to the employees and their surroundings by pouring gasoline on them, killing 36 people.
At a meeting in December, he apologized to the victims and their families and declared that he would atone for his crimes by receiving the death penalty. He also said in September that he didn’t think so many people would die.
Sources: NHK, KYODO and Japan Times
