Nothing is more terrifying than an unresolved murder case, and there are plenty of them around the world. There have been some high-profile murder cases, but there are millions of other homicides that never make national news. The majority of murders require sharp knives and gunshots, but this one began with a pot of curry.
Masumi Hayashi was a Japanese woman who lived in the Wakayama district. Her husband, Kenji, maintained a pest eradication company, and she worked as an insurance saleswoman. Kenji was once unable to work owing to an accident. Masumi and her family were dubbed “selfish” by their neighbors for their refusal to mingle. They possessed the largest house in the neighborhood and even had expensive automobiles that they used to honk at anyone who crossed their path.
According to her former neighbor, no one knew Masumi at all which is quite weird in such a village! Masumi never allows her children to play with the children who play near her house. The locals refused to accept her into the neighborhood since she rarely bothered to socialize.
The Wakayama Matsuri
The Wakayama district is known for many things but the one that stands out the most is the annual Matsuri, a summer village festival. God, according to the Japanese, is present in all things. Matsuri is a Japanese festival that celebrates God’s blessings on nature, life, and community growth. A matsuri is typically divided into two parts: a solemn worship ritual and a joyful celebration. Abstinence intervals ranging from a few hours to days are used to detoxify the volunteers. Dance, theatrical performances, divination, and physical events, such as sumo wrestling, archery on foot or horseback, and boat races, are all common features of the celebrations.
When the event was set to begin on July 25, 1998, the women’s group in the neighborhood was in charge of splitting the cooking duties. Oden, a hot pot featuring bits of fish flesh and bean curd, was on the menu that year. Takoyaki and curry rice was also available. After the celebration, people began to notice that something wasn’t quite right.
People began to display unusual symptoms soon after. Some people puked, while others experienced severe heart pain. The villager was then diagnosed with food poisoning by a local doctor. The diagnosis changed the next day, and it turned out to be cyanide poisoning. The villagers’ situation had deteriorated to the point where there were even cases of death. The incident alarmed Japan as a whole. An investigation was conducted by authorities and journalists.
The Capture
A week later, it was determined that the poison employed was not cyanide, but powdered arsenic, remnants of which were discovered in the curry rice cooker. The locals were really taken aback. Shogo Kakimoto, a worker at the Wakayama prefectural government’s welfare department, told the media that it appeared to be a random mass slaughter because it wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. Despite the fact that the investigation lasted two months, residents were able to figure out who was responsible. Locals believed that since Kenji had a pest extermination business, it was possible for them to have access to powdered arsenic.
After being harassed by the media and townspeople, 30 detectives stormed Hayashi’s home in early October 1998 and arrested the couple. Masumi and Kenji were accused of filing false insurance claims based on exaggerated injuries suffered by Kenji. Many people felt that this hoax was the source of their enormous fortune.
Masumi was also charged with attempted murder and the deaths of four persons as a result of the mass poisoning. Masumi, according to investigators, poisoned one of her friends in 1997 by contaminating her meals with the same toxin found in the curry rice. She was also accused of attempting to murder her husband using the same way in order to collect on his life insurance policy. To support these allegations, prosecutors alleged that arsenic residues were discovered in Masumi’s hair and her residence. She had been active in the festival’s preparations and had been alone with the rice pot for 40 minutes, it was reported. Masumi pleaded not guilty during the trial, claiming that the evidence against her was solely circumstantial.
Masumi was condemned to death by the district court in 2002, and the Osaka high court maintained the conviction in June 2005. Masumi’s final appeal was dismissed by Japan’s top court in April 2009. Masumi, who is now 59 years old, maintains that she had no involvement in the Wakayama curry murder.
Death of Masumi’s daughter
The Wakayama curry murder enthralled the entire country, inspiring copycat murders all throughout the country. As if the horror wasn’t enough, a 37-year-old woman threw herself from a bridge in Kansai International Airport, Osaka, with a four-year-old child in her arms in June 2021, according to Japanese media. The woman was later revealed to be Masumi’s eldest daughter.
That’s not all, that same afternoon, the woman’s 16-year-old daughter, had also died in a local hospital. Her mother said that she was vomiting blood before collapsing, therefore she was rushed to the hospital. When physicians examined her body, they discovered extensive bruises, leading them to believe she died of shock caused by external trauma.
Masumi, on the other hand, is currently incarcerated, waiting to see if her next few seconds will be her last. In Japan, those on death row are only informed two hours before their sentence is carried out.
Sources: Well, I Never, Murderpedia, Britannica, Tokyo Reporter, The Murder Blog