Capture, Confession, and Court

Abstract

This chapter covers the ensuing four days in the case and brings out the speed with which it proceeded in the criminal justice system after Fukunaga’s capture. The major events considered include his arrest as a result of spending some of the ransom money, his immediate admission of guilt, and the prompt publication in the newspapers of such incriminating statements by him. The chapter analyzes the official transcript of his police interrogation, which came to be referred to as his “confession,” that provided detailed information about his crime. It also notes the responses of the Japanese American community to the crime, including by their newspapers. The chapter concludes with a review of Fukunaga’s prompt arraignment in court for first-degree murder and appointment of his two attorneys.