Curry and Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case is an upcoming true crime documentary that will be streaming on Netflix starting December 22, 2023. The trailer for the documentary was released on December 13, 2023. It gave glimpses into the strange truth behind the mysterious Koodathayi Cyanide Case, which involved six homicides that occurred between 2002 and 2016.
Jolly Joseph, the primary suspect in the Koodathayi Cyanide Case, was formally arrested by the police on October 5, 2019. Although she was suspected and later accused of all six murders, it was the killing of her father-in-law, Tom Thomas, and her husband’s uncle, Matthew Manjadiyil, that directly led to the arrest after Tom’s son Rojo filed a complaint suspecting murder.
However, these killings weren’t even identified as murders until 2019, when Rojo Thomas grew suspicious of his father’s death. Joseph’s mother-in-law died from a strange illness. This was followed by the death of her father-in-law, her husband, and her husband’s uncle—all caused by a heart attack. Soon after, her two-year-old niece was found to be dead after choking on her food. Her mother also collapsed and died, following which Joseph married Sakhariyas.
Despite all the mystery, the deaths weren’t formally investigated until Rojo Thomas found a new version of his father’s will. As per the new will, the family property was passed on to Joseph. Upon sharing his suspicions, Rojo faced some strong resistance from the extended family. This was because of the constructed image that Jolly Joseph created for herself and the familial trust she built.
How was Jolly Joseph caught?
The central piece of evidence that pointed to Jolly Joseph as the accused was a pattern of inconsistencies in her statements about each of the deaths and the truth revealed through scientific procedures. Additionally, Joseph was caught lying in other contexts. She convinced her neighbours and family, including her two sons, that she was a professor at NIT, Kozhikode. She even said she left for work every morning. Upon cross-checking, it was revealed that Joseph never worked there.
The post-mortem of her husband, Roy Thomas, revealed that he died due to cyanide poisoning. Meanwhile, Joseph told everyone it was a heart attack. According to a report by CNN, the police found 50 such discrepancies in her statements and other evidence. The fact that she fooled her family and friends for over 14 years made the larger malpractice highly probable.
When the evidence piled up and Joseph was caught, she confessed to killing six of her family members through cyanide poisoning. She revealed her that her motive was to gain control over the family’s assets. Although Roy Thomas’ death by cyanide was proved through the post-mortem, Jolly Joseph allegedly using her influence in town to ensure the immediate cremation of the rest of the victims, as reported by CNN.
Where is Jolly Joseph now?
Jolly Joseph is currently at the Kozhikode district prison in Kerala. However, the court has yet to pass the final verdict on the case. Interestingly, the case began receiving widespread media attention owing to the deadly social implications of the truth as opposed to what Joseph convinced those around her of.
Curry and Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case will uncover the details of the Jolly Joseph’s crimes and the subsequent investigation. The documentary will be streaming on Netflix on December 22, 2023.
