STORY; "No retrial for man hanged over '92 slayings in Fukuoka," published by The Japan Times on March 31, 2014. (Thanks to the Wrongful Convictions Blog for drawing this case to our attention. HL);
GIST: "The Fukuoka District Court decided Monday not to reopen a 1992 murder case in which a man was executed six years ago for killing two young girls, dismissing new evidence brought forward by his lawyers. The decision not to grant a posthumous retrial to Michitoshi Kuma, who consistently maintained his innocence, came just days after another court decided to reopen a 1966 quadruple murder case and free 78-year-old Iwao Hakamada from death row after nearly 48 years in detention. Kuma’s lawyers plan to appeal the decision......... Kuma was hanged in 2008 at age 70 for the kidnapping and murder of two 7-year-old girls in Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture. Kuma’s widow petitioned the court in 2009 for a retrial, arguing that false DNA test results had led to his conviction. His lawyers argued that the quality of the DNA tests was poor and thus not credible, and submitted an analysis by a forensics expert showing that Kuma’s DNA was not the same as the DNA type admitted by the court as the culprit’s.........The lawyers also submitted as new evidence an analysis saying that Kuma had blood type of B, while the killer’s blood type was AB, as well as an expert psychological opinion that said witness testimony linking the slayings to Kuma may have been influenced by investigators."
The entire story can be found at:
GIST: "The Fukuoka District Court decided Monday not to reopen a 1992 murder case in which a man was executed six years ago for killing two young girls, dismissing new evidence brought forward by his lawyers. The decision not to grant a posthumous retrial to Michitoshi Kuma, who consistently maintained his innocence, came just days after another court decided to reopen a 1966 quadruple murder case and free 78-year-old Iwao Hakamada from death row after nearly 48 years in detention. Kuma’s lawyers plan to appeal the decision......... Kuma was hanged in 2008 at age 70 for the kidnapping and murder of two 7-year-old girls in Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture. Kuma’s widow petitioned the court in 2009 for a retrial, arguing that false DNA test results had led to his conviction. His lawyers argued that the quality of the DNA tests was poor and thus not credible, and submitted an analysis by a forensics expert showing that Kuma’s DNA was not the same as the DNA type admitted by the court as the culprit’s.........The lawyers also submitted as new evidence an analysis saying that Kuma had blood type of B, while the killer’s blood type was AB, as well as an expert psychological opinion that said witness testimony linking the slayings to Kuma may have been influenced by investigators."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/31/national/fukuoka-court-wont-reopen-1992-murder-case-of-hanged-inmate/#.UzlSNCe9KK0
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com.
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;
