Park Jung-hyun, the former editor of the popular Kodansha manga series ‘Attack on Titan’ and ‘Seven Deadly Sins’, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for murdering his wife.

The Tokyo High Court will deliver its verdict on July 18, 2024, after a retrial. The accused was first arrested in January 2017, and prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence.

The court ruled that Park had strangled his 38-year-old wife Kanako to death at their home in Bunkyo City, Japan on August 9, 2016. The prosecution argued that Park had strong intent to kill his wife, while the defense claimed she had committed suicide.

Park claimed his innocence in the entire case. On the day of the incident, the first rescue workers found Kanako lying at the bottom of the stairs. She died an hour later at a local hospital.

Park initially said she had fallen down the stairs, but an autopsy revealed she had suffocated from pressure on the neck. Park later claimed she hung herself with her jacket on the stair railing.

The court found his testimony inconsistent and ruled the crime a misdemeanor, ruling out the possibility of suicide. Park plans to appeal the verdict. His mother said he lived well with his wife and took care of his children. His lawyer argued the conviction was due to unreliable testimony, not evidence of murder.