A teenager from Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, was apprehended for allegedly trying to murder his uncle by adding poisonous oleander plant extracts to his miso soup. Oleander is known to be highly toxic to both humans and animals, with all parts of the plant being dangerous, including the leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruit.
The 18-year-old is suspected of attempting to poison his uncle on July 17 by incorporating chopped oleander leaves into his meal. Fortunately, the uncle detected the unusual taste and spat out the contaminated miso soup, avoiding a potentially lethal outcome.
Reports indicate that the uncle, who resides with the teenager and his mother, promptly sought medical attention and only experienced minor symptoms following the incident. The motivation behind the poisoning attempt was attributed to the teenager’s frustration with his uncle’s loud snoring, as per Nippon TV.
In a confession during interrogation, the student admitted guilt, stating that he resorted to the extreme measure because he could no longer tolerate his uncle’s snoring. Oleander, a toxic evergreen shrub commonly found in gardens and along roadsides, contains poisonous substances throughout all its parts.
Following the failed poisoning incident, the same teenager was arrested at JR Chiba Station about six hours later for assaulting two women in a restroom with a hammer. Despite the attack, the women, aged in their 40s and 50s, sustained minor injuries.
The student reportedly expressed his intention to harm a vulnerable woman indiscriminately. Authorities are conducting a thorough investigation into the sequence of events involving the teenager, with potential charges of attempted homicide under consideration. The student is currently in police custody as the case progresses.