A former professional boxer, Hakamada was working at a miso processing plant in 1966 when the bodies of his employer, the man’s wife and two children were recovered from a fire at their home in Shizuoka, west of Tokyo. All four had been stabbed to death.
Authorities accused Hakamada of murdering the family, setting fire to their home and stealing 200,000 yen in cash.
Hakamada initially denied having robbed and murdered the victims, but later gave what he came to describe as a coerced confession following beatings and interrogations that lasted up to 12 hours a day.
In 1968 he was convicted of murder and arson, and sentenced to death.
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