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Bleach Anime Used in Defense in New Zealand Murder Case

The defense presented new evidence in a New Zealand murder case of 69-year-old Auckland resident Michael Mulholland by 36-year-old man Gabriel Hikari Yad-Elohim. In a December 13 report by the Law News website and January 13 report by The New Zealand Herald newspaper, the new evidence suggests Yad-Elohim was recreating a scene from the popular anime series Bleach. The reports do not mention the specific Bleach series nor episode. However, according to Law News, the defense expert psychiatrist, Dr. Cavney said he "discovered a particular scene from the anime some weeks after trial and he disclosed it to former appellate counsel, but it was ‘not fully represented’ in the Court of Appeal."

Yad-Elohim was arrested and convicted in 2017 for bludgeoning Mulholland to death. Both the Law News and The New Zealand Herald articles note Yad-Elohim was diagnosed with schizophrenia prior to assaulting and murdering Mulholland. Yad-Elohim's defense pled insanity during the trial, but the jury rejected the claims. In May 2023, Yad-Elohim appealed his conviction with statements from forensic psychiatrist Dr. Chaplow, but the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

In a final bid, Yad-Elohim appealed his case to the New Zealand Supreme Court in July 2024. According to the Law News:

The Supreme Court considered the video and the transcript of a monologue that Yad-Elohim had delivered in Japanese in a police interview room, some 24 hours after the attack. It noted that there were several similarities between the video and the attack, and also with the monologue. The court stated that the evidence was significant and appeared credible.

As of press time, the New Zealand Supreme Court has not announced when they will hear Yad-Elohim's case.

Sources: Law News' website, The New Zealand Herald's website