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A communal pot of curry being served to residents of Sonobe district, Wakayama, was poisoned with at least 1,000 grams of arsenic — enough to kill over 100 people — on July 25, 1998. Two children and two adults fell sick and died after consuming the curry, and 63 others suffered from acute arsenic poisoning. Killed in the incident were 64-year-old Takatoshi Taninaka and 53-year-old Takaaki Tanaka (council president and vice president of Wakayama, respectively), 10-year-old Hirotaka Hayashi, and 16-year-old Miyuki Torii.
Her husband was subsequently convicted and imprisoned for insurance fraud.
Prior to the murders, Masumi had been an insurance saleswoman. Masumi was also tried for three other attempted murders by poison that had occurred during the previous 10 years, with the motive in those cases being life insurance benefits.
The motive of the mother of four in this case is said to be anger at her neighbours for shunning her family. The arsenic found in the curry was identical to arsenic she had in her own home from her husband"s extermination business.
At her trial she pleaded innocent, but she was sentenced to death in 2002.
On June 28, 2005, a high court in Osaka upheld her death sentence. However, her lawyers insisted on her innocence because only circumstantial evidence existed. On April 21, 2009, the Supreme Court of Japan rejected her final appeal.
In July 2009, Hayashi formally petitioned for a retrial.
The court"s decision is pending. 4 died and 63 survived.
Acute symptoms during the first 2 weeks included nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, headache, exanthem, enanthem, hypokalemia, hyperphosphatemia, leukocytosis, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, increase in aspartate transaminase, increase in alanine transaminase, hypotension, prolonged QT interval, T wave alternans, System Technologies segment change, cardiomegaly, pulmonary edema, pleural effusion. (including symptoms of more than 20%)
Dermatological findings during the first 2 weeks.
Subconjunctival hemorrhage (24%), flushing erythema (8%), facial oedema (21%), maculopapular eruption (13%), acral desquamation (17%).
Dermatological findings in 21 patients at 3 months. Beau"s lines (52%), Mees" lines (48%), total leukonychia (33%), onychodystrophy (24%), periungual pigmentation (43%), acral desquamation (19%). Hayashi"s case gained a lot of public attention.
The crime inspired a wave of copycat poisonings.
