World's Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate Iwao Hakamada Acquitted in 1966 Quadruple Murder Retrial

Sep 26, 2024, 06:25 AM

In a landmark decision, the Shizuoka District Court acquitted Iwao Hakamada, an 88-year-old former boxer, of a 1966 quadruple murder charge. Hakamada, who had spent over 45 years on death row and was the world's longest-serving death row inmate, was found not guilty after a retrial revealed that investigators had fabricated evidence against him. This verdict overturns a previously finalized death sentence for the murder of a family of four in Shizuoka Prefecture. Hakamada had been convicted in 1968 and had maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration. His case had drawn significant attention to Japan's retrial system and its handling of wrongful convictions.