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It was called the trial of the century in the Philippines. At the centre of a media circus tainted with overtones of class hatred and political rivalry, Paco Larrañaga, 19, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong. The two women disappeared at a shopping mall one night in July 1997, never to be seen again. Larrañaga’s cries of innocence garnered the attention of international human rights agencies and personalities, including the King of Spain. His plight led to the abolishment of the death penalty in the Philippines, which saved not only Larrañaga’s life but those of hundreds of other wrongfully imprisoned inmates. Today, more than a decade after his conviction, Larrañaga languishes in jail. Is he a cold-blooded murderer or the victim of incompetence and corruption in the post-Marcos Philippines?