The Koodathayi cyanide murders, a chilling series of deaths in Kerala, India, have captivated public attention due to their allegedly calculated nature and the unexpected individual at their center: Jolly Joseph.
Between 2002 and 2016, six members of Joseph’s family died under mysterious circumstances, later purported to have been deliberate poisonings done with cyanide, a chemical that almost no one can get their hands on easily.
This true crime case has also been the focal point of the documentary Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case. So, what happened in this case, and where is the main accused today?
The Jolly Joseph Case — Her Background
Jolly Joseph, originally from Kattappana in Idukki district, was a first-year college dropout. In 1997, she married Roy Thomas, and the couple had two sons. While her in-laws wished for her to find a job and not merely sit at home, Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case purported that Joseph was not very interested in finding employment.
However, a bit later, Joseph claimed to have finally landed a role at the prestigious National Institute of Technology (NIT), Calicut, earning her the respect of family members and her community.
Previously, a neighbour told CNN, “Jolly was very loving. She would be here if we needed anything or if someone fell ill.” They also claimed the main accused was ‘very talkative and well-mannered.’
Eventually, though, over 14 years, six family members and others known to Joseph died under mysterious circumstances, later alleged to be poisonings done with cyanide. Many in the community were not expecting what unfolded…
The Victims and the Timeline
Before we proceed with more details, let’s take a look at the timeline of the murders:
- Annamma Thomas (2002): Joesph’s mother-in-law died after coming home from a walk and drinking water. Due to her generally poor health, her death was initially attributed to a heart attack at the time. [She had previously gone to the hospital after having symptoms of poisoning from consuming mutton soup, as per Gulf News, but doctors sent her home after they weren’t able to figure out what the actual issue was.]
- Tom Thomas (2008): Joesph’s father-in-law collapsed and died after reportedly consuming a tapioca dish, with his death also presumed to be due to a heart attack.
- Roy Thomas (2011): Joesph’s husband was found dead in the bathroom that was locked from the inside after eating a dinner that consisted of rice and chickpea curry, with a post-mortem revealing cyanide poisoning. However, initially, the death was ruled a suicide due to his alleged financial issues.
- Roy also had a cousin named Shaju, whose daughter and wife are alleged to have been killed by Joseph too.
- Mathew Manjadiyil (2014): Annamma’s brother and Roy’s uncle died after consuming whiskey that was laced with poison and allegedly given by Jolly. Mathew was the one who had demanded a post-mortem be carried out after Roy’s death.
- Alphine Shaju (2014): The two-year-old daughter of Shaju Zachariah, Roy’s cousin, died after reportedly choking on food.
- Sili Shaju (2016): Shaju’s wife collapsed and died after Jolly reportedly gave her a mushroom capsule that was supposed to help with her depression.
As per The Hindustan Times, their deaths were quite similar, and Joseph seemed to be the only common point in all these cases.
How Was Jolly Joseph Caught?
At the time that these various victims died, it was either presumed that they died of ill-health or through other “natural” causes, such as heart attacks, and Joseph thought she was in the clear. After her father-in-law passed away, she also brought forth a fake will to her sister-in-law, Renji Thomas, and claimed she was the sole heir to his estate, even though it had no witness signatures or official stamp.
Then, after Joseph’s husband — and Alphine and Sili — died, she went on to marry Shaju, which is what seemed to be the nail in the coffin for the Thomas siblings.
Renji and Rojo Thomas told The New Indian Express, “First, had Jolly not been adamant about the fake will she prepared and two, had Jolly not married Shaju Sakariya, our first cousin. Since both these incidents happened, we stuck to our decision to move ahead [and pursue the case].”
Rojo also revealed that he had proved in 2012 that Joseph was not an employee at NIT — and that she had never worked there ever. He revealed, “When I was at home after the controversy over the fake will, I noticed Jolly was not going to the NIT. When asked, she said there was a strike going on in the institution. Since the reply wasn’t convincing, I decided to go personally to NIT-C and inquire.”
He added, “The search started from NIT-C campus school. Then I went to NIT-C Higher Secondary School, Regional Engineering College School and Main Engineering College. In the end, I understood there was no one named Jolly in any of the centres on the campus. When I asked Jolly, she pleaded that I let it drop.”
The siblings then got a copy of their brother Roy’s autopsy after filing an RTI — it clearly stated he had died as a result of cyanide poisoning. Joseph, however, had previously told family members that Roy died from suicide. As per a different Hindustan Times report, Renji also revealed, “Jolly told us he had food at 3.30 pm and hadn’t had food after that. But it was clear in the post-mortem report that he had rice and chickpeas curry at 8.30 pm.” This was likely done to avoid any suspicions being cast on Joseph as cyanide can take immediate effect.
Kozhikode rural SP K G Simon also claimed once that it could be likely that Joseph had planned additional murders, as per The Hindustan Times, though no evidence of the same being carried out has been mentioned in the news.
Is Jolly Joseph Alive? Where is She Now?
Joseph was arrested in October 2019 and confessed to the murders, claiming to have administered cyanide obtained with the help of M.S. Mathew, a jewelry shop employee and her alleged lover, and Praji Kumar, a goldsmith. Investigations revealed the presence of cyanide in the exhumed bodies of some of the victims that died. She has been in custody since her arrest, with legal proceedings ongoing.
Back in December 2021, Joseph, the prime accused, attempted suicide inside the Kozhikode District Jail, as per The Hindu. According to prison officials, Jolly was found in her cell with self-inflicted injuries on her wrist and was immediately provided medical attention at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.
As of 2023, her trial had started in the Kozhikode Additional Sessions court, as per The News Minute. While her legal team argued there was no evidence that connected her to the cases, in March 2024, the Supreme Court of India rejected her plea seeking acquittal in the death of her husband, Roy Thomas, citing the severity and rarity of the case.
It is important to note that the case is still in court, and an official verdict is yet to be passed.
