A released convict has been allowed a retrial in connection with the murder of a girl 38 years ago

KANAZAWA – A man who served seven years in prison for the brutal murder of a schoolgirl has had his trial retried after the court expressed doubts about key testimony that the defense said was fabricated.

On October 23, the Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya Supreme Court agreed to rehear the case of Shoji Maekawa, 59, who was convicted of murdering a 15-year-old girl in 1986 in the city of Fukui.

In its ruling, the division said doubts remain about the veracity of testimony given against Maekawa during his murder trial.

The girl graduated from high school on March 19, 1986, the day she was murdered. More than 50 stab wounds were found on her body.

Investigators reached a dead end in the case, but then found witnesses who gave statements pointing to Maekawa as the killer.

One of the witnesses, an acquaintance of Maekawa, was arrested and held on suspicion of violating drug laws before Maekawa’s trial.

This friend testified that on the day the girl died, he saw Maekawa with traces of blood on her chest.

During a closed-door hearing to determine whether a retrial should be granted, the witness corrected himself and said he had actually met Maekawa on another day.

He also said he made a deal with investigators that he would testify if they overlooked his own drug violations.

Defense attorneys argued that this new testimony would clearly show Maekawa is innocent, a condition for the court to grant a retrial.

After Maekawa’s lawyers filed a second request for retrial, they received 287 pieces of evidence from prosecutors for the first time.

The package contained notes prepared by the police stating that the testimony of Maekawa’s friends was unreliable.

Maekawa was arrested and charged in 1987 with murder. He constantly told investigators that he had never met the victim.

Police had no solid evidence, such as fingerprints and footprints, linking Maekawa to the crime.

The original trial focused on the credibility of the six men’s testimony. Some said they took Maekawa in or gave him a ride while he was covered in blood.

A package of evidence provided by prosecutors shows that friends initially denied having contact with Maekawa at the time of the girl’s death.

In 1990, the Fukui District Court found Maekawa innocent on the grounds that the men’s confessions had changed numerous times before the trial.

However, the Kanazawa branch overturned the lower court’s ruling and found Maekawa guilty, arguing that the main elements of the testimony were consistent.

The department only sentenced Maekawa to seven years in prison for murder on the grounds that he was in poor mental health due to sniffing paint thinner.

The Supreme Court finalized the ruling in 1997.

After serving his sentence and being released, Maekawa filed his first application for reconsideration of the case in 2004.

In 2011, the Kanazawa branch agreed to retry the case, supporting the results of an experiment conducted by defense lawyers.

An examination revealed that only trace amounts of blood were found in the car Maekawa allegedly used, contradicting the testimony of one man who stated that Maekawa was covered in a significant amount of blood.

However, in 2013, the Kanazawa branch lifted the retrial order after concerns were raised about some of the conditions used by the defense in the experiment.