The man sentenced to life for a high-profile 1990 child murder may be cleared in a retrial, now that a DNA sample taken from him did not match body fluid found on the victim's clothing, contrary to findings at the time of his conviction.
The Tokyo High Court notified both the prosecution and defense that recent DNA tests showed a sample from Toshikazu Sugaya, who is serving a life term for the murder of the 4-year-old girl in Tochigi Prefecture, differed from the one used as evidence that helped convict him, his lawyers said.
This is the first time DNA tests were performed for a case where the convict is seeking retrial, the defense said.