In a recent ruling, the Tokyo High Court ruled Jung-hyun Parkformer manga editor of Kodanshato 11 years in prison. Park, que supervisionou a edição de obras populares como “Shingeki no Kyojin”, “GTO: Paradise Lost” and “Nanatsu no Taizai”was convicted of murdering his wife eight years ago at their Tokyo residence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUp81T5MU_k

Park, 48, was accused of strangling his wife, who was 38 at the time. Embora tenha mantido a sua inocência ao alegar que a sua esposa se tinha suicidado, o tribunal considerou que a sua versão carecia de credibilidade. O juiz do Tribunal Superior de Tóquio afirmou que evidence at the crime scene supported the initial verdict of murderindicating that there were no irregularities in the first instance ruling.

During the trial, Park claimed he pinned his wife to a mattress after seeing her with a knife and that he later found her dead after hearing noises coming from another room. No entanto, o juiz rejeitou esta explicação, chamando-a de “incrível e antinatural”. A defesa argumentou que a história do suicídio era plausível, mas o tribunal manteve a sua decisão.

After the verdict, Park's family and his lawyer held a press conference. Park's mother described the decision as "cruel", destacando o bom relacionamento que o filho mantinha com a esposa e os filhos. Por sua vez, o advogado de defesa criticou o julgamento, salientando que a condenação se baseou na falta de credibilidade do depoimento de Park e anunciou que pretendem recorrer da decisão.

Criminal law experts commented on the case, saying 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 lies with 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 the temporary closure of a case that has drawn public attention due to the defendant's notoriety in the manga world.

Source: NHK NEWS WEB