Overview

• The lay-judge trial at Kobe District Court for Notsu Hideaki, 28, closed with prosecutors asserting he bore full criminal responsibility.
• Prosecutors argued autism spectrum disorder had minimal impact, cited planning and self-control, and described the method of killing as especially brutal.
• The defense maintained he was in a state of diminished responsibility at the time and requested a 25-year prison sentence.
• The 2020 attack at the family home in Takarazuka killed his grandmother, brother, and mother and left his aunt seriously injured.
• Testimony indicated he intended to secure a death sentence by killing relatives, allegedly including his aunt to ensure execution, and the surviving aunt addressed the court in an emotional statement.