Japanese prosecutors have indicted a U.S. Marine on robbery and murder charges over the death of a woman in a hotel in Okinawa, according to NBC News, citing Japanese media. Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is accused of killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha, the prefectural capital, and stealing her backpack. Ballard, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, denies the allegations.
Devin Jacob Ballard, leaves the Naha Police Station to be referred to the district prosecutor's office in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, on October 5, 2026.Koichi Nagano/The Yomiuri Shimbun/APThe indictment was filed Sunday. A court spokesman confirmed to AFP that "the case was indicted on October 25," ABC Australia reports. Prosecutors allege Ballard strangled Yagi with a telephone cord on October 3 and took a backpack holding her wallet, according to the Telegraph.
The case began with an arrest within hours. Police picked Ballard up late on October 3 after an officer spotted him alone on a street in the entertainment district of Okinawa City, READ MORE AT SOURCE »
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