Kyoto Animation Arson Suspect Will Have Verdict Handed Down on January 25, 2024

 

Despite reports that the trial of suspected Kyoto Animation arsonist Shinji Aoba will be concluded this year, today the Kyoto District Court announced that his verdict will be delivered on January 25, 2024, ending the trial that has been ongoing since the attack in July 2019.

 

Along with the verdict date, the court revealed that Aoba will face court for the first time on September 5 after going through two rounds of psych evaluations to see if he was fit to stand trial since being arrested in May 2020, one from the prosecutor’s side and another from the defense, with both concluding that the trial can continue.

 

RELATED: Kyoto Animation Arson Trial Verdict to Be Handed Down by End of Year Says Prosecutors

 

Aoba was caught at the scene with heavy burns all over his body and has been charged with murder, attempted murder, arson, breaking and entering and violating the firearms and sword control law, by the Kyoto District Public Prosecutor’s Office. 

 

The attack, which occurred on July 18, 2019, took the lives of 36 employees, including The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya director Yasuhiro Takemoto, animator Yoshiji Kigami, chief animation director on the Free! franchise Futoshi Nishiya, Sound! Euphonium character designer Shouko Ikeda, and many more. 35 more people who were inside the building at the time were also injured. 

 

Source: Sankei News

 

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Daryl Harding is a Senior Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.