In a recent ruling, the Tokyo High Court
sentenced Jung-hyun Park , former Kodansha manga
editor , to 11 years in prison . Park, who oversaw the editing
of popular works such as “ Shingeki
no Kyojin , ” “GTO: Paradise Lost” and “Nanatsu
no Taizai ,” was found guilty of murdering his wife eight years ago at
his Tokyo residence.
Park, 48, had been accused of strangling
his wife, who was 38 at the time. Although he
maintained his innocence by claiming that his wife had committed suicide, the
court found his version lacking credibility. The Tokyo High Court judge stated
that the evidence at the crime scene supported the initial verdict of
murder , indicating that there were no irregularities in the first
instance conviction.
During the trial, Park maintained that
he had pinned his wife to a mattress after seeing her with a knife and that he
later found her dead after hearing noises from another room. However,
the judge dismissed this explanation, calling it “incredible and unnatural.”
The defense argued that the suicide story was plausible, but the court stood by
its decision.
After the verdict, Park's family and his lawyer held
a press conference. Park's mother described the ruling as "cruel ,"
highlighting the good relationship her son had with his wife and her children.
For his part, the defense lawyer criticized the trial, pointing out that the
conviction was based on the lack of credibility of Park's testimony and
announced that they plan to appeal the decision.
Criminal law experts commented on the
case, stating that the court relied on medical facts and solid evidence to rule
out the suicide theory proposed by the defense. Handa
stressed that the burden of proof falls on the defense when alternative
theories such as suicide are presented, and in this case, they failed to
convince the court. Jung-hyun Park's conviction marks a temporary
closure to a case that has captured public attention due to the defendant's
notoriety in the manga world.
Source: NHK
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