Shinji Aoba’s Lawyer (45)the subject sentenced to death by the Kyoto District Court on January 25 for the arson of the First Building of Kyoto Animation in 2019, has filed an appeal against the sentence. The appeal was filed on January 26. Aoba is accused of setting fire to Kyoto Animation’s First Building in 2019, killing 36 people.
In December last year, the prosecution noted the seriousness of the case due to the large number of victims, and stated that the defendant’s delusion that his work had been plagiarized by Kyoto Animation “strengthened his motive to some extent“. Since then, the prosecution had asked the judge in charge to establish the death penalty as a sentence.
On the other hand, the defense argued that “At the time of the incident, the defendant was under the control of delusions and auditory hallucinations and was not capable of taking responsibility“, and argued that the sentence should be reduced even if he was innocent or not. In a trial held on January 25, the Kyoto District Court found Aoba completely responsible and sentenced him to the death penalty.stating: “The pain and sadness of the victims cannot be expressed. The accused does not show sincere remorse“.
- What does the appeal entail and could the defendant avoid the death penalty?
An appeal is a legal process through which the defense seeks a review of the original sentence. In this case, Aoba’s lawyer seeks to challenge the decision of the Kyoto District Court that sentenced him to death for the tragic fire at Kyoto Animation.
However, filing an appeal does not automatically guarantee that the subject can escape the death penalty. The appeals court will review the defense arguments and evaluate whether there were procedural errors or injustices in the original trial. In death penalty cases, appeal could lead to a reduction of the sentence, but detailed review of the evidence and legal arguments will be crucial.
It is important to note that, although the appeal offers an opportunity to challenge the sentence, it does not guarantee the release of the defendant and even the court reviewing the case could reach the same conclusion of capital punishment. In this context, the legal process continues its course, and the outcome will depend on the decisions of the appeal court.
And of course, this news did not go unnoticed in the comment forums:
- «Oh no, please dismiss your appeal request.».
- «From what I read, it seemed to me that Aoba had agreed to die as a result of his actions.».
- «And why was your application accepted in the first place?».
- «The lawyer needs to extend this as much as possible, if I were him I would write a book about it».
- «Yes, as expected».
- «It’s funny to see how the murderer of more than thirty people is afraid of death».
- «Even the death penalty is merciful for this guy».
- «It seems that the damn thing wants to live, but is he in a condition to do so normally after being burned?».
- «It was a completely premeditated crime, he bought gasoline and set fire to Kyoto Animation. I don’t understand why the defense resorts to an appeal that they know will fail.».
- «Wow, I imagine the legal profession is difficult in these cases».
- «Ultimately, it is the attorney’s job to exhaust all available resources to at least delay the death penalty. More trials may be required to finalize the death penalty, so the subject will be alive for a while».
- «Under current law, it was inevitable that the judge would give him the death penalty, and it is natural that an appeal would be filed.».
- «In my work as a lawyer, I am obligated to enforce my client’s rights no matter what. I would like to have been there to fight the Supreme Court and leave your name in the annals of the history of the legal profession.».
Fountain: Otakomu
