Fukui Female Middle School Killing
福井女子中学生殺人事件
Summary
On March 19, 1986, a female middle school student was brutally stabbed and strangled in the kitchen of her home after a graduation ceremony. One year later, police arrested Shoji Maekawa (above) on drug charges and later charged him with the murder. As there was only circumstantial evidence,-mostly testimony of a yakuza in detention, Maekawa was declared innocent. The prosecution appealed and he was sentenced to 7 years. In 2011, the Nagoya High Court granted a retrial, a very rare occurance. The prosecution again appealed and some 15 months later, a separate branch of the Nagoya High Court revoked the retrial. A further appeal has been lodged with the Supreme Court.
Chart: Fukui-Maekawa Case: Chronology and Present Status.