Man gets 30 years in prison for fatal knife attack at Sapporo convenience store
The defense for Hirotaka Miyanishi had called for his acquittal on the grounds that he was not mentally competent at the time, but the Sapporo District Court found him responsible and gave him the sentence demanded by prosecutors.
Presiding Judge Shunichi Ido said in handing down the ruling that although Miyanishi's "crimes came from his delusions, he made his own decisions on some key points."
He said the court found Miyanishi's acts were punishable with a life sentence but commuted it in recognizing his diminished mental capacity.
On Feb. 25, 2024, Miyanishi killed Keisuke Ohashi, 40, by stabbing him in the throat and back and seriously injured two other workers in the knife attack at a convenience store in Sapporo, according to the ruling.
© KYODO
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