A high school student from Japan has been taken into custody on suspicion of trying to murder his uncle by spiking his miso soup with toxic oleander plant extracts. Oleander is known for its extreme toxicity to both humans and animals, with all parts of the plant, such as the leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruit, being highly poisonous.
The 18-year-old, residing in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, allegedly attempted to fatally harm his uncle on July 17 by incorporating chopped oleander leaves into his meal. Fortunately, the uncle detected the strange taste in the miso soup and promptly spat it out.
Reports indicate that the uncle, who cohabits with the teenager and his mother, survived the poisoning attempt and experienced only minor symptoms after seeking immediate medical attention.
The motive behind the alleged poisoning was supposedly the perpetrator’s frustration with his uncle’s loud snoring. The student confessed during interrogation, stating, “I couldn’t tolerate his snoring any longer, so I decided to eliminate him.”
Oleander, commonly found as an evergreen shrub along roadsides and in gardens, produces red or white flowers but is highly toxic, containing poisonous compounds throughout the plant.
Shortly after the poisoning incident, the same student was apprehended at JR Chiba Station for assaulting two women in a nearby restroom with a hammer. The victims, aged in their 40s and 50s, sustained minor injuries as the teenager targeted their shoulders with a 24-centimeter hammer.
The student purportedly told investigators, “I wanted to harm any vulnerable woman and cause pain.”
Law enforcement authorities are actively investigating the sequence of events involving the student. Prosecutors are deliberating formal charges of attempted murder against the teenager, who remains in custody.