A man charged with the 2023 murder of four people, including two police officers, in Nagano Prefecture indicated his intention to keep silent during the first court hearing of his lay judge trial on Thursday.
His attorney said the defendant, Masanori Aoki, 34, was in a state of diminished capacity due to integration disorder syndrome, and doubts that Aoki has the capacity to take criminal responsibility.
According to the indictment and other sources, Aoki is suspected of fatally stabbing two women, ages 70 and 66, with a knife on May 25, 2023. Using a knife and a gun, he then killed two police officers who arrived on the scene in response to the attack.
At the Nagano District Court on Thursday, the prosecution said Aoki had a delusion that the two women mocked him for being alone as they walked near his home prior to the incident.
The prosecution argued that, although Aoki was suffering from paranoia at the time, the disorder was not directly related to the incident and he is criminally responsible.
The trial is scheduled to close on Sept. 26 and the court is expected to issue a ruling on Oct. 14.
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