Post by Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast on Dec 16, 2020 22:26:44 GMT -5
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kyoto-animation-arson-attack-suspect-charged-with-murder-in-japan?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
Shinji Aoba, 42, was detained in the immediate aftermath of the fire, which killed 36, but prosecutors had to wait for him to recover from severe burns and undergo a lengthy psychiatric evaluation before making charges.
Japanese prosecutors on Wednesday charged a man with murder for last year’s deadly arson attack on Kyoto Animation, the family-run studio behind a string of internationally beloved anime films and television series.
The suspect, Shinji Aoba, 42, was detained in the immediate aftermath of the fire, but local authorities had to wait months for him to recover from serious burns before formally placing him under arrest. The Kyoto Public Prosecutors Office then kept him in confinement for six months for a mental evaluation.
Thirty six people died in the attack, and 33 were injured, many with severe burns. The incident is thought to be Japan's largest mass killing since World War II.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that Aoba had been charged with five crimes including murder, attempted murder, and arson. Japan’s national broadcaster NHK reported that medical experts are thought to have deemed Aoba mentally fit to be held criminally responsible for his actions because of the elaborate planning that went into the attack.
On the eve of the July 2019 incident, Aoba had explored the area surrounding Kyoto Animation’s main production building, purchasing a trolley at a local hardware store and about 10 gallons of gasoline at a nearby filling station. He then wheeled the fuel to a park where he spent the night on a bench. The next morning, he pushed his gas-laden cart through Kyoto Animation’s studio doors and set it alight, reportedly screaming “Die!”
One surviving Kyoto Animation staffer described leaping from a second-floor window as searing heat and black smoke roared through the building. Many of the victims attempted to escape via a central stairwell, but died of carbon monoxide poisoning before reaching the roof, according to a fire report.
Japanese media, citing unnamed police sources, reported in the aftermath that Aoba's motive was the belief that Kyoto Animation had stolen a novel he wrote.
Japanese prosecutors on Wednesday charged a man with murder for last year’s deadly arson attack on Kyoto Animation, the family-run studio behind a string of internationally beloved anime films and television series.
The suspect, Shinji Aoba, 42, was detained in the immediate aftermath of the fire, but local authorities had to wait months for him to recover from serious burns before formally placing him under arrest. The Kyoto Public Prosecutors Office then kept him in confinement for six months for a mental evaluation.
Thirty six people died in the attack, and 33 were injured, many with severe burns. The incident is thought to be Japan's largest mass killing since World War II.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that Aoba had been charged with five crimes including murder, attempted murder, and arson. Japan’s national broadcaster NHK reported that medical experts are thought to have deemed Aoba mentally fit to be held criminally responsible for his actions because of the elaborate planning that went into the attack.
On the eve of the July 2019 incident, Aoba had explored the area surrounding Kyoto Animation’s main production building, purchasing a trolley at a local hardware store and about 10 gallons of gasoline at a nearby filling station. He then wheeled the fuel to a park where he spent the night on a bench. The next morning, he pushed his gas-laden cart through Kyoto Animation’s studio doors and set it alight, reportedly screaming “Die!”
One surviving Kyoto Animation staffer described leaping from a second-floor window as searing heat and black smoke roared through the building. Many of the victims attempted to escape via a central stairwell, but died of carbon monoxide poisoning before reaching the roof, according to a fire report.
Japanese media, citing unnamed police sources, reported in the aftermath that Aoba's motive was the belief that Kyoto Animation had stolen a novel he wrote.
