Japan: Court orders retrial of longest-serving death row convict over 1966 murder case

Source: CNN

“The world’s longest-serving death row convict was on Monday granted a retrial by a Japanese court in the latest twist in a legal saga dating back to the 1960s. Iwao Hakamada, 87, spent nearly five decades waiting for the hangman’s call following his 1968 conviction for quadruple murder before new evidence led to his release seven years ago. … A pair of blood-spattered, black trousers and his [allegedly forced] confession were the evidence against Hakamada. The alleged motive ranged from a murder by request to theft. But in 2004, a DNA test revealed that blood on the clothing matched neither Hakamada nor the victims’ blood type.” (03/14/23)

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/14/asia/japan-1966-murder-retrial-intl-hnk/index.html