18-year-old allegedly ground oleander leaves and mixed them into the soup in a lethal bid to stop uncle’s snoring
A Japanese high school student was arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder his uncle by lacing his miso soup with extracts from a deadly oleander plant.
Oleander is extremely lethal to humans and animals, with all parts of the plant — including the leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruit — being highly poisonous.
The 18-year-old from Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, is suspected of attempting to kill his uncle around midday on July 17 by chopping up and mixing leaves of the toxic plant into his uncle’s food.
The miso soup reportedly contained a lethal dose of the Oleander plant, but the uncle noticed an unusual taste and spat it out immediately.
According to a report by News On Japan, the uncle, who lives with the teenager and his mother, fortunately survived and suffered only minor symptoms as he went to hospital immediately.
According to Nippon TV, the motivation behind the attempted poisoning was due to the alleged perpetrator being fed up by his uncle’s loud snoring.
During questioning, the student admitted to the charges, and said: “I couldn’t stand his snoring anymore, so I decided to kill him.”
Oleander is an evergreen shrub often planted along roadsides and in gardens. It bears red or white flowers but is highly poisonous, with all parts of the plant containing toxic compounds.
Around six hours after the poisoning attempt, the same student was arrested at JR Chiba Station for attacking two women in a nearby restroom with a hammer. The victims were reportedly aged in their 40s and 50s.
Police officials said the teenager used a 24-centimeter hammer to hit the shoulder areas of the victims one after another in the women’s restroom inside the station. It was reported that the women were not seriously injured in the incident.
The student allegedly said to investigators: “I wanted to target a weaker woman—anyone would do—and hurt them.”
Police are continuing to investigate the details and circumstances of the series of incidents involving the student. Prosecutors are now weighing formal charges of attempted homicide against the teenager, who remains in custody.