'Attack on Titan' editor receives 11-year sentence for wife's murder
Park Jung-hyun, a former editor at the publishing house Kodansha, known for his work on Attack on Titan, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. The Tokyo High Court delivered the verdict last week following a retrial. The conviction is related to an incident at Park's residence in Bunkyo City, Japan where he was found guilty of strangling his wife, who was then only 38 years old.
Park's changing accounts complicated the murder case
Park's case was marked by his inconsistent accounts of the events that led to his wife's death. Initially, he claimed that she had fallen down the stairs. Later, he altered his story, suggesting she had committed suicide—a detail he did not initially share with ambulance attendants. His wife's body was found at the bottom of the staircase and her cause of death was determined to be suffocation.
Court dismissed Park's claims as implausible
During the trial, Park presented yet another version of events. He alleged that his wife had been wielding a knife. He justified blood stains found in the bedroom, separate from where her body was discovered, by stating that he had restrained her as she intended to kill him. The presiding judge dismissed Park's account as implausible: "It is too sudden...that the wife lost consciousness and then moved around so much that she made a noise, and then committed suicide."
Park to appeal against verdict, maintains innocence
Despite the court's ruling, Park continues to assert his innocence and intends to appeal against the decision. His lawyer argued that there was no conclusive evidence of murder and that the verdict relied heavily on inconsistent testimony. Meanwhile, Park's mother expressed her distress over the verdict saying: "My son got along well with his wife, and he cared for his children. I don't know how to explain the ruling to children. It's too cruel."
