An 88-year-old man, Iwao Hakamada, who holds the record as the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, has been acquitted by a Japanese court after it ruled that evidence used to convict him was fabricated. Hakamada, who spent over half a century on death row, was found guilty in 1968 for the murder of his boss, the man’s wife, and their two teenage children.

Recently granted a retrial, Hakamada’s conviction came under scrutiny due to suspicions that investigators planted evidence, leading to his wrongful conviction for quadruple murder. However, due to his deteriorated mental health, Hakamada, now 88, was unable to attend the hearing where his acquittal was finally delivered.

The case, which is one of Japan’s most famous legal battles, has captivated public interest, with 500 people attending the court in Shizuoka to witness the ruling. Supporters cheered “banzai” as the verdict was handed down. Since 2014, Hakamada has been living under the care of his 91-year-old sister, Hideko, after he was freed from jail and granted a retrial.

Hakamada’s battle for justice, which he described as “fighting a bout every day,” revolved around the key piece of evidence — bloodstained clothes found in a tank of miso. His lawyers had long argued that DNA from the clothing did not match Hakamada’s, raising suspicions of evidence tampering by police.

In 2014, Judge Hiroaki Murayama found that the clothes did not belong to Hakamada, and this led to his release. However, it took years for the retrial to begin and even longer for the court to declare his innocence. On Thursday, the court ruled that the stains on the clothes were not blood, but rather planted evidence, declaring Hakamada innocent.