During a trip to Mount Fuji, the US Navy officer murdered two Japanese nationals in an automobile accident. The victims were an 85-year-old woman and her 54-year-old son-in-law.
In October 2021, Alkonis entered a guilty plea to negligent driving and was given a three-year prison sentence. US Navy physicians testified in his favor that he suffered severe alpine sickness at the time of the mishap. He was moved into US custody in December of last year.
Alkonis was the most recent American service member to encounter legal issues. He was stationed at the Yokosuka naval facility, which is located south of Tokyo. Following the US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)
was signed in 1960, allowing the US to send troops into the nation; since then, US military personnel have been involved in hundreds of criminal prosecutions.
Then, on January 13, the Japanese public was startled by a joyful tweet about “great and breaking news” from CNN anchor Jake Tapper, which was accompanied by a picture of a grinning Alkonis, 36, with his wife and three kids.
Tapper stated: “This morning the US parole commission ordered the full parole and immediate release with no supervision of Navy Lt Ridge Alkonis.”
