Exactly seven years after the trial began, prosecutors Thursday demanded the death penalty for Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara, accused of masterminding two sarin attacks in the mid-1990s as well as other heinous crimes.
"The crimes he committed, as ringleader in 13 cases that caused the death of as many as 27 people, is too grave to demand anything other than a death sentence," the prosecutors told the Tokyo District Court.
A few seconds before the prosecution announced it would seek capital punishment, Asahara, apparently expecting it, started to nervously play with his beard. As the trail session closed, one of his defense lawyers appeared to try to console him.