Aoki Sentenced to Death for Killing Four in Nagano

The Nagano District Court, presided over by Judge Masafumi Sakata, sentenced 34-year-old Masanori Aoki to death. As the ruling was read aloud, Aoki showed no visible emotion.

According to the court’s findings, Aoki stabbed two women who were walking near his home and then shot two male police officers who responded to the scene with a hunting rifle. Following the attack, he barricaded himself inside his house. During this standoff, reporters observed movement within the property.

Investigators concluded that Aoki’s actions were driven by a delusional belief linked to his resentment over being called “botchi”—a slang term used to describe someone who is isolated or has no friends. After dropping out of a university in Tokyo, Aoki returned to his parents’ home and had minimal contact with others. He had previously attacked a coworker, claiming to have been called “botchi” at work.

During the standoff, Aoki reportedly told his mother, “They were chatting and calling me ‘botchi’ while on their walk, so I stabbed them. The police did nothing even though I was being called ‘botchi.’”

At trial, the central issue was whether Aoki was criminally responsible for his actions. Prosecutors argued that he retained full control over his conduct and sought the death penalty. Conversely, the defense claimed that Aoki suffered from diminished capacity, impairing his ability to distinguish right from wrong.

Throughout the trial, Aoki remained mostly silent but declared in his final statement, “I am an otherworldly being. I came here to kill people and be sentenced to death.”

In delivering the verdict, Judge Sakata stated, “The rampage was the result of the defendant’s own will and judgment, and nothing short of the death penalty is appropriate.”

The defense has announced plans to appeal the ruling.
https://newsonjapan.com/article/147269.php

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