Japanese court acquits the longest-serving death row inmate of a 1966 quadruple murder

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court found an 88-year-old former boxer not guilty on Thursday after a retrial for a 1966 quadruple murder, reversing a decision that made him the world's longest-serving death row inmate.

Iwao Hakamada’s acquittal by the Shizuoka District Court makes him the fifth death row inmate to be found not guilty in a retrial in postwar Japan, where prosecutors have a more than 99% conviction rate. The case could rekindle a debate around abolishing the death penalty in Japan.

The court found that evidence was fabricated and planted by investigators and that Hakamada was not the culprit, his lawyer Hideyo Ogawa said.

After the ruling and an explanation were read out, his 91-year-old sister Hideko Hakamada walked out of the courthouse with a big smile, welcomed by cheers and two big bouquets of flowers to celebrate the acquittal of her brother after the 58-year legal battle.

“Thank you, everyone, we won an acquittal,” she told a televised news conference. “When I heard the main sentence, it sounded almost divine. I was so touched and could not stop crying with joy."

Hakamada was convicted of murder in the 1966 killing of an executive and three of his family members, and setting fire to their home in central Japan. He was sentenced to death in 1968, but was not executed due to the lengthy appeal and retrial process in Japan's notoriously slow-paced criminal justice system.

He spent 48 years behind bars — more than 45 of them on death row — making him the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, according to Amnesty International.

Ogawa said he asked the prosecutors not to appeal the case, as is possible, but was told they have not yet decided what to do.

The lawyer also said the defense team is considering filing a lawsuit against the government, in part to learn more about the troubled investigation. If prosecutors do not appeal and his acquittal is finalized, Hakamada would be entitled to seek compensation.

It took 27 years for the top court to deny his first appeal for retrial. His second appeal for a retrial was filed in 2008 by his sister.

That request was granted in 2014, when a court ruled there was evidence suggesting he was wrongly accused. He was not cleared of the conviction, but he was released from prison and allowed to await retrial at home because his poor health and age made him a low risk for escape.

But the case continued to bounce among several courts, until one finally ruled in his favor in 2023, paving the way for the latest retrial that began in October.

Following his arrest, Hakamada initially denied the accusations, but then confessed. He later said his confession was forced during a violent interrogation by police.

"I have nothing to do with the case … I am innocent,” he wrote in his letter to his mother while on trial in 1967.

On Thursday, the court concluded that five pieces of bloodstained clothing that investigators claimed to have found hidden in a tank of fermented soybean paste, or miso, a year after Hakamada's arrest must have been put there long after the arrest.

The court cited scientific experiments that showed the bloodstains should not have been visible on clothing soaked in miso for a year. The ruling concluded that investigators, who had said Hakamada wore the clothes during the crime, had applied the bloodstains themselves and planted the clothing.

According to defense lawyers and earlier court rulings, the blood samples did not match Hakamada’s DNA, and trousers that prosecutors submitted as evidence were too small for him.

Thursday's ruling also blamed the prosecutors for forcing Hakamada into a false confession because of an “inhumane" interrogation.

Ogawa, Hakamada’s lawyer, praised the ruling as “groundbreaking” for clearly stating that the prosecution fabricated key evidence at the beginning. “I believe this ruling puts an end to the case. ... Now we must prevent prosecutors from appealing no matter what.”

After Hakamada was sentenced to death, he expressed fear and anger at being falsely accused.

“When I go to sleep in a soundless solitary cell every night, I sometimes cannot help cursing God. I have not done anything wrong,” he wrote to his family. “What a cold-blooded act to inflict such cruelty on me."

Hakamada, whose Christian name is Paulo, was invited to a Mass in Tokyo during Pope Francis' visit in 2019, five years after his release.

Supporters say Hakamada’s nearly half-century detention took a toll on his mental health. Most of his 48 years behind bars was spent in solitary confinement. The first two months after Hakamada's release, he kept pacing inside the apartment, without even trying to go outside, his sister said.

One day, she asked him to help her with groceries to get him to agree to leave the house. Going out for a walk then became his daily routine, though today he is less able and he goes out by car, assisted by his supporters.

The case has drawn attention to and criticism of Japan's legal system. Japan Bar Association Chairperson Reiko Fuchigami urged the government and parliament on Thursday to promptly take steps to abolish the death penalty and lower hurdles for retrials.

“The Hakamada case clearly shows the cruelty of the wrongful death penalty, and the tragedy should never be repeated,” she said, expressing hope that Hakamada truly regains his freedom and lives in serenity as a citizen.

At a final hearing at the Shizuoka court in May before Thursday’s decision, prosecutors again demanded the death penalty, triggering criticism from rights groups that prosecutors were trying to prolong the trial.

Japan and the United States are the only two countries in the Group of Seven advanced nations that retain capital punishment. A survey by the Japanese government showed an overwhelming majority of the public supports executions.

Executions are carried out in secrecy in Japan and prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning they are hanged. In 2007, Japan began disclosing the names of those executed and some details of their crimes, but disclosures are still limited.

Hideko Hakamada has devoted around half of her life to her brother's case. Before Thursday's ruling, she said she was in a never-ending battle.

“It is so difficult to get a retrial started,” She told reporters in Tokyo. “I’m sure there are other people who have been wrongly accused and crying. … I want the criminal law revised so that retrials are more easily available.”

Hideko Hakamada, center at right side, sister of 88-year-old former boxer Iwao Hakamada who has been on death row for nearly six decades after his murder conviction that his lawyers said was based on forced confession and fabricated evidence, is surrounded by journalists after a court ruled that her brother was not guilty in a retrial for a 1966 quadruple murder, in front of the court in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. The signs read "Acquittal to Mr. Iwao Hakamada, " right, and "Acknowledged fabrications of evidence." (Kyodo News via AP)

Hideko Hakamada, center, sister of 88-year-old former boxer Iwao Hakamada who has been on death row for nearly six decades after his murder conviction that his lawyers said was based on forced confession and fabricated evidence, reacts after a court ruled that her brother was not guilty in a retrial for a 1966 quadruple murder, in front of the court in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. The signs read "Acquittal to Mr. Iwao Hakamada, " right, and "Acknowledged fabrications of evidence." (Kyodo News via AP)

Iwao Hakamada, 88-year-old former boxer who has been on death row for nearly six decades after his murder conviction that his lawyers said was based on forced confession and fabricated evidence, goes for a walk in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan Thrusday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Hideko Hakamada, sister of 88-year-old former boxer Iwao Hakamada who has been on death row for nearly six decades after his murder conviction that his lawyers said was based on forced confession and fabricated evidence, speaks to journalists ahead of a retrial for a 1966 quadruple murder case, in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Iwao Hakamada, left, 88-year-old former boxer who has been on death row for nearly six decades after his murder conviction that his lawyers said was based on forced confession and fabricated evidence, is helped by a supporter as he goes for a walk in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster who broke barriers during his career calling some of the biggest sporting events, has died from cancer, according to a statement from family released by the news network on Friday.

“He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement.

In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues.

Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties.

In 2001, he announced Super Bowl 35 for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship.

David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumbel as someone who broke barriers and set standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness.

“A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time," said Berson.

Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998.

He hosted CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. In 1995, he hosted the World Figure Skating Championships and the following year hosted NBC’s daytime coverage of the Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta.

But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’ NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004-05.

Earlier this year, Gumbel recalled replacing Brent Musburger as host of “The NFL Today” in 1990, describing it as intimidating and daunting.

“The fact that I got to sit in the same chair and do the same thing or try to do the same thing that he did was an incredible honor," he said.

Gumbel also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl 35 and 38. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season.

“Like all who knew and loved him, I too am saddened by his death, yet also so very grateful to have known him in my life,” Clark Kellogg, a CBS Sports college basketball game and studio analyst, said in a statement. “What a gift to be touched by such a good man and partner.”

Gumbel was the older brother of Bryant Gumbel, the host of NBC’s “Today” show and “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” on HBO. Bryant Gumbel received a lifetime achievement award at the Sports Emmys in 2003.

Greg Gumbel grew up in Chicago and graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1967 with a degree in English. He had plans to become an English teacher, but after his brother got into sportscasting, he auditioned at WMAQ-TV, an NBC affiliate in Chicago in 1973, according to the book "You Are Looking Live!: How The NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting." He was soon offered a position as weekend sports anchor.

“I’m kind of surprised I got the job. I certainly wasn’t anyone who was polished," he said in the book. "By my own reckoning, it took me a good year to start to feel comfortable in front of a camera."

Gumbel also worked for ESPN and the Madison Square Garden network.

James Brown, who currently hosts “The NFL Today," described Gumbel on Friday as “Mr. Versatility and also very telegenic.”

“It was my pleasure to call him a friend and one who could do anything that was given to him in the wake of an assignment,” he added.

Gumbel won local Emmy Awards during his long career and was the recipient of the 2007 Pat Summerall Award for excellence in sports broadcasting.

Outside of his career as a sportscaster, he was affiliated with the March of Dimes for three decades, including as a member of its board of trustees. He also was a member of the Sports Council for St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for 16 years.

Associated Press reporter Mike Sisak contributed.

FILE - Dallas Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders, left, and running back Michael Irvin (88) share the Vince Lombardi trophy as NBC commentator Greg Gumbel interviews the two after Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, Ariz., Sunday, Jan. 28, 1996. (AP Photo/Ron Heflin, File)

FILE - Greg Gumbel, left, watches as Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun talks to Butler head coach Brad Stevens, right, prior to taping a television interview for the men's NCAA Final Four college basketball championship game Sunday, April 3, 2011, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)