Wrongful Conviction 4
Case No. 210 is a series of robbery and murder cases that began 30 years ago. The victims were spread across many prefectures and cities including Nagoya, Nagano, Gunma, Hokkaido, etc., involving more than 500 robberies and thefts with a total amount of hundreds of billions of yen. At the same time, the suspect's recklessness also caused the tragic consequence of 25 deaths and 6 injuries.
According to the testimonies of the surviving victims, the criminals seemed to know the victims' daily routines very well. They would often break into their homes when they were alone, and force them to hand over their money with a wooden handle. Fearing for their lives, they chose to obey the criminals' demands. However, even if they did as they were told, they would be beaten and insulted for no reason.
Bullet casings were found at some of the scenes where the dead were found, proving that the criminals did choose to shoot from a gun.
And 19 years ago, the criminal of Case No. 210 committed another crime in Nagoya, resulting in the death of a single woman. In the same year, 30-year-old Kuwata Tsubasa was arrested in Nagoya. Witnesses saw him passing by the deceased's apartment before the crime. And because Kuwata Tsubasa was a man at the bottom of society with a history of theft, who dropped out of elementary school and worked odd jobs to make a living, the police at the time believed that he was a major suspect in the crime after learning that he had worked in many cities with his uncle who was a businessman, and was very likely the criminal of Case No. 210.
Soon after being arrested, Kuwata Tsubasa admitted to the charges. The police happily invited friends from the media, saying, "Thanks to the unremitting efforts of the police, the criminal No. 210 has been arrested and will be handed over to the prosecutor for trial soon." Some reporters even obtained information from within the police and announced Kuwata Tsubasa's true identity before the formal trial.
While this move brought overwhelming pressure to Kuwata Tsubasa's family, it also brought Kuwata Tsubasa a comrade-in-arms who had fought with him for 19 years.
The lawyer, Hayato Masaki, was already 60 years old at the time.
This veteran lawyer keenly noticed the contradiction between Kuwata Tsubasa's activities and Case No. 210. In fact, on several occasions when the police believed that the case was committed by Criminal No. 210, Kuwata Tsubasa was in another city and had sufficient alibi (however, the police later announced that the crime was committed by another criminal and Kuwata Tsubasa was still the suspect of Case No. 210). Despite his age, Lawyer Masaki still found a way to meet with Kuwata Tsubasa as soon as possible.
They chatted for a while.
Then Lawyer Masaki decided to defend Kuwata Tsubasa. The white-haired old gentleman was full of confidence. He believed that with the evidence he had, he would be able to clear his client's name.
I just didn't expect it to be so long.
Nineteen years, five appeals, four verdicts, two not guilty and two acquittals.
Now, it's the sixth time.
Ishii Kazuki sat in prison waiting for the arrival of Kuwata Tsubasa. After several appeals, he was transferred from Nagoya to Tokyo, which made their work more convenient. The thief police officer was still thinking about the details of the case, recombining various clues in his mind, until a man sat down opposite him.
"Hello, Mr. Kuwata," Ishii Kazuki picked up the phone, speaking in a relaxed tone as if he were chatting with a neighbor after going out. "I am Inspector Ishii Kazuki of the Special Investigation Team of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division 1."
"I came here today to tell you some bad news. Lawyer Masaki suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at home the night before and must be hospitalized for a period of time."
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