In a recent ruling, the Tokyo High Court ruled Jung-hyun Parkformer manga editor of Kodanshato 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 convicted of murdering his wife eight years ago at their Tokyo residence.

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Park, 48, was 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 that his version lacked credibility. The Tokyo High Court judge said: 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. However, the judge rejected this explanation, calling it “incredible and unnatural.” The defense argued that the suicide story was plausible, but the court upheld its decision.

After the verdict, Park's family and his lawyer held a press conference. Park's mother described the decision as "cruel", highlighting the good relationship that his son had with his wife and children. In turn, the defense attorney criticized the trial, pointing out that the conviction was based on the lack of credibility of Park's testimony and announced that they intend to appeal the decision.

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