Iwao Hakamada is finally getting out of prison 58 years after being wrongfully locked away. Per PEOPLE, in 1966, Hakamada was accused of killing a senior manager at the miso factory he worked at. Additionally, it was said that he also killed the manager's wife and their two children. Reportedly, the victims had all been stabbed to death. Their home had also burned down.
For years, Hakamada said that he was innocent. However, Japanese outlet, The Asahi Shimbun, reported that Hakamada eventually confessed to the killings following "nearly three weeks of brutal police interrogations." Though, once his trial began, Hakamada went back to proclaiming his innocence. 56 years after he was initially found guilty, the Shizuoka District Court announced that Hakamada was to be acquitted at the age of 88.
Amnesty International's Boram Jang proudly celebrated Hakamada's acquittal. "We are overjoyed by the court's decision to exonerate Iwao Hakamada. After enduring almost half a century of wrongful imprisonment and a further 10 years waiting for his retrial, this verdict is an important recognition of the profound injustice he endured for most of his life," Jang said in a statement.
88-Year-Old Inmate Is Finally Acquitted After Spending Over 50 Years In Prison
Judge Koshi Kunii said that the authorities had "tampered with evidence by smearing blood" on Hakamada's clothing during his alleged crimes. Kunii also questioned whether the red stains on the clothes found in a miso tank were actually blood. Reportedly, the stains "would not retain a red hue after being buried under miso paste for more than one year."
Additionally, it's suspected that the clothes were purposefully placed in the tank after the killings were committed. Hakamada's lawyers even insisted that DNA found on the clothes a year after his arrest didn't match his. After a prolonged retrial, Hakamada finally received justice on September 26, 2024. The former professional boxer, unfortunately, wasn't able to attend the hearings. He'd been struggling with his mental health as a direct result of his lengthy imprisonment.
Since 2014 (while awaiting the retrial), Hakamada had been living with his sister in Shizuoka Prefecture. In many ways, while justice eventually found Hakamada, it's difficult to dismiss all the years Hakamada could've enjoyed the freedom that had been stolen from him.
