Kyoto Animation Arsonist will receive the verdict early next year

After nearly 4 years, the Kyoto Animation arson will end in January 2024 after the arsonist’s verdict is delivered.

According to Crunchyroll, the Kyoto District Court announced it would issue a verdict against Shinji Aoba, the 41-year-old man who entered the Kyoto Animation studio in 2019 and set it on fire, killing 36 people, on May 25. January 2024. Aoba will also appear in court for the first time on September 5 after undergoing two psychiatric evaluations, one from the prosecution and one from the defense, to determine his mental capacity to appear in court. The pre-trial procedure began on May 8, during which the court, the prosecution and the defense confirmed the schedule and time for the main hearing. An earlier report said the trial could end by the end of December 2023.

The arsonist believes he has plagiarized

Aoba entered the Studio 1 building on July 18, 2019, at 10:30 a.m., with 40 liters of gasoline on a trolley, causing an explosion when he set fire to the workshop. After pouring gasoline on a number of people, he set fire to them and himself in the process. The fire spread, trapping several staff members inside the studio. The fire killed 36 employees, most of whom died from burns, and 34 were injured, including Aoba. Allegedly, Aoba set fire to revenge, believing that Kyoto Animation used a scene from his novel in one of Tsurune’s episodes. The studio has denied the allegations, saying that although Aoba submitted a draft, he ultimately failed to pass the first round of reviews.

After attempting to flee, police arrested Aoba about 300 feet from the scene with severe burns to his face, chest and legs. At a hospital in Osaka, Aoba received a skin graft surgery for his burn and then moved from hospital to hospital until May 2020, when he recovered from his burns. Later, the police officially arrested him for murder and other charges. In December 2020, the court indicted him.

How Kyoto Animation honored the victims

The fire destroyed a large part of the computer and materials, resulting in production halting. While Kyoto Animation decided to continue releasing Violet Evergarden: Eternity and Auto Memory Doll films in August 2019, honoring the victims in the end credits, the next film, Violet Evergarden: The Movie, has ended. due to premiere in September 2020 after the COVID-19 Pandemic pushed the original release date to be rescheduled to April 2020. David Productions Fire Brigade has undergone revisions to episodes after the attack.

Kyoto Animation decided to tear down the Studio 1 Building in April 2020. Although there were plans to replace it with a memorial, the idea was ultimately rejected out of respect for the neighborhood’s wishes for a memorial. maintaining a peaceful lifestyle for its residential areas.

Source: Crunchyroll