Who is Jolly Joseph? Wiki, Age, Husband, Children, Family, Punishment & Verdict

Jolly Joseph, also known as Joliyamma, is a 51-year-old woman from Kerala, India, who is accused of killing six members of her family with cyanide over 14 years. She is the prime suspect in one of the most sensational and shocking murder cases in the history of Kerala, dubbed as the Koodathayi Murders or the Curry and Cyanide Murders.

Early Life and Education

Jolly Joseph was born in 1972 in Vazhavara, a village in Idukki district of Kerala. She is the daughter of K Joseph, a farmer, and his wife, who suffers from mental illness. She has a brother named Nobi Thoma. She completed her schooling from St. Mary’s High School, Vazhavara, and graduated from M.E.S. College, Nedumkandam, Kerala, in 1991.

Jolly Joseph Wiki/Bio

Name	Jolly Joseph
Other Name	Joliyamma
Date of Birth	1972
Age (as of 2023)	51 years
Birthplace	Vazhavara, Idukki, Kerala
Nationality	Indian
Religion	Christianity (converted to Hinduism)
Caste	Nasrani
Education	Graduation from M.E.S. College, Nedumkandam, Kerala
Occupation	Unemployed (claimed to be a lecturer and a researcher)
Marital Status	Married
First Husband	Roy Thomas (deceased)
Second Husband	Shaju Zacharia
Children	Romo Thomas and Ronald Thomas (from Roy Thomas)
Parents	K Joseph (father) and Name Not Known (mother)
Siblings	Nobi Thoma (brother) and four other siblings
Accusations	Murder of six family members with cyanide
Arrest	October 5, 2019
Status	Awaiting trial
Instagram	jollyjoseph
Homepage	newsunzip.com

First Marriage and Murders

Jolly Joseph married Roy Thomas, a native of Koodathayi, a village in Kozhikode district of Kerala, in 1997. Roy was the son of Tom Thomas and Annamma Thomas, who belonged to the affluent Ponnamattom family, which owned a large ancestral house and rubber plantations. Jolly and Roy had two sons, Romo Thomas and Ronald Thomas.

According to the police, Joseph started her killing spree in 2002, when she allegedly poisoned her mother-in-law Annamma Thomas with cyanide-laced water. She claimed that Annamma had collapsed after returning from a walk and died of a heart attack. Six years later, in 2008, she allegedly similarly killed her father-in-law Tom Thomas, after giving him poisoned food. She told the family that Tom had fainted and died of a cardiac arrest.

In 2011, Jolly allegedly murdered her husband Roy Thomas, after serving him rice and curry laced with cyanide. Roy was found dead in the bathroom, which was locked from inside. The post-mortem report revealed traces of poison in his body, and the police registered a case of unnatural death. Jolly told the police that Roy had committed suicide due to financial problems. She also produced a fake will, which stated that Roy had bequeathed all his property to her and their sons.

In 2014, Joseph allegedly killed two more people: Mathew Manjayadil, the brother of Annamma Thomas, and Alphine Shaju, the two-year-old daughter of Shaju Zacharia, Roy’s cousin and a school teacher. She allegedly gave Mathew poisoned whisky, and Alphine poisoned food. She claimed that Mathew had died of a stroke, and Alphine had choked on food. Two years later, in 2016, she allegedly killed Sily Shaju, the wife of Shaju Zacharia, after giving her a glass of water mixed with cyanide. She said that Sily had died of a seizure, and showed symptoms of excessive frothing at the mouth.

Parents and Siblings

Jolly Joseph was born in 1972 in Vazhavara, a village in Idukki district of Kerala. She is the daughter of K Joseph, a farmer, and his wife, who suffers from mental illness. She has a brother named Nobi Thoma. She also has two elder brothers and two elder sisters, one of whom is deaf and mute.

Joseph’s parents and siblings lived in a modest house in Vazhavara, where they cultivated crops and reared cattle. Jolly was the youngest and the most pampered child in the family. She completed her schooling from St. Mary’s High School, Vazhavara, and graduated from M.E.S. College, Nedumkandam, Kerala, in 1991. However, she lied to her in-laws and others that she had done B.Tech and M.Com, and that she was a lecturer and a researcher at prestigious institutions

Nationality, Religion and Caste

Jolly is an Indian citizen by birth. She belongs to the Christian community and the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, which is one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Pope. She belongs to the Nasrani caste, which is a term used to refer to the Saint Thomas Christians, who trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century

However, after the death of her first husband, Roy Thomas, Joseph converted to Hinduism and married his cousin, Shaju Zacharia, who was also a Hindu convert. She changed her name to Jollyamma Shaju and adopted the customs and rituals of her new faith. She also performed pujas and visited temples regularly

Children

Jolly has two sons from her first marriage with Roy Thomas. They are Romo Thomas and Ronald Thomas, who are now aged 19 and 24, respectively. They were born and brought up in Koodathayi, a village in Kozhikode district of Kerala, where they lived in their father’s ancestral house, along with their grandparents and other relatives

Joseph’s sons were unaware of their mother’s involvement in the murders of their father and other family members until she was arrested by the police in 2019. They were shocked and traumatized by the revelations and expressed their disbelief and anger towards their mother. They also said that they wanted justice for their father and other victims

Net Worth and Income Sources

Jolly’s net worth and income sources are not known for sure, as she had fabricated many details about her education and profession. She claimed to be a lecturer at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, and a researcher at the Indian Space Research Organisation, but in reality, she was unemployed and had no qualifications

However, according to the police, Joseph’s motive for the murders was to gain control over the property and wealth of the Ponnamattom family, which owned a large ancestral house and rubber plantations in Koodathayi. She also forged documents, such as Roy’s will and her B.Tech degree certificate, to create a false identity and credibility for herself

After the death of her first husband, Jolly married Shaju Zacharia, who was a school teacher and a widower. She moved to his house in Kodanchery, another village in Kozhikode district. She also inherited the property and assets of Shaju’s first wife, Sily, and their daughter, Alphine, whom she had allegedly killed with cyanide

Second Marriage and Arrest

After the death of her first husband, Jolly Joseph developed a relationship with Shaju Zacharia, who was also a widower. She married him in 2016 and moved to his house in Kodanchery, another village in Kozhikode district. She also changed her religion from Christianity to Hinduism and adopted the name Jollyamma Shaju.

Joseph’s crimes came to light in 2019, when Rojo Thomas, the brother of Roy Thomas, who was working in the USA, filed a series of RTI applications to obtain the autopsy report of his brother. He found out that the report contradicted Joseph’s statements, and suspected foul play. He approached the police and demanded a thorough investigation into the deaths of his family members.

The police formed a special team, led by K.G. Simon, the Rural SP of Kerala Police, to probe the case. They exhumed the bodies of the six victims from the cemeteries and conducted forensic tests. They also interrogated Jolly and her associates and collected evidence from various sources. On October 5, 2019, the police arrested Jolly for the murder of Roy Thomas. She confessed to her involvement in the other five murders as well. The police also arrested two of her accomplices, M.S. Mathew and Praji Kumar, who allegedly helped her procure cyanide from a jewelry shop and a goldsmith, respectively.

Physical Appearance

Weight	In Kilograms: 58 kg In Pounds: 128 lbs
Height	in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in feet & inches- 5’ 5”
Hair Color	Black.
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Shoe Size	6 US.
Piercing	Ears.

The Koodathayi Cyanide Killings

Between 2002 and 2016, six members of Joseph’s family died under mysterious circumstances, and she was allegedly present at the spot on each occasion. The victims were:

• Annamma Thomas (57), Joseph’s mother-in-law, died on August 22, 2002, after drinking a glass of water given by Joseph. She was a retired teacher and suffered from diabetes. Her death was attributed to a heart attack.
• Tom Thomas (66), Joseph’s father-in-law, died on August 26, 2008, after collapsing at his house. He was a retired government employee and had undergone a bypass surgery. His death was also attributed to a heart attack.

• Roy Thomas (40), Joseph’s first husband, died on September 30, 2011, after consuming rice and curry at his house. He was found dead in a bathroom that was locked from the inside. He was a businessman and had financial troubles. His death was initially ruled as suicide due to poisoning, as the post-mortem report showed traces of cyanide in his body. He was the only victim whose body was subjected to an autopsy, as his maternal uncle, Mathew Manjadiyil, insisted on it and filed a police complaint.
• Mathew Manjadiyil (68), Joseph’s uncle-in-law, who died on February 24, 2014, after drinking whisky given by Jolly at his house. He was a farmer and had questioned Jolly about Roy Thomas’s death and property matters. His death was attributed to liver cirrhosis.
• Alphine Shaju (2), Joseph’s niece, who died on May 3, 2014, after choking on food at her house. She was the daughter of Shaju Zachariah, Roy Thomas’s cousin and a school teacher, and his first wife, Sily Shaju. Her death was attributed to respiratory failure.
• Sily Shaju (41), Joseph’s sister-in-law, who died on January 11, 2016, after drinking a glass of water given by Jolly at her house. She was a homemaker and had health issues. Her death was attributed to cardiac arrest.

The series of deaths raised suspicions among some of the relatives and neighbors of the Ponnamattom family, but no action was taken by the police until 2018, when Rojo Thomas, Roy Thomas’s brother who lives in the USA, filed a series of RTI applications and obtained a copy of the autopsy report of his brother’s body. He found out that Jolly Joseph had lied to him about the time and circumstances of his brother’s death, and that the post-mortem report clearly indicated cyanide poisoning. He then approached the police and demanded a thorough investigation into the six deaths.

Motive and Modus Operandi

The police have stated that Joseph’s motive for the murders was to gain control over the property and wealth of the Ponnamattom family and to marry Shaju Zacharia, whom she loved. She also wanted to eliminate anyone who posed a threat or suspicion to her plans. She used cyanide, a highly toxic chemical, to kill her victims, as it causes instant death and leaves no trace after a few hours.

She also forged documents, such as Roy’s will and her B.Tech degree certificate, to create a false identity and credibility for herself. She pretended to be a lecturer at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, and a researcher at the Indian Space Research Organisation, but in reality, she was unemployed and had no qualifications.

Punishment and Verdict

Jolly and her co-accused are currently lodged in the Kozhikode district jail, awaiting trial. The police have filed six charge sheets against them, for the murders of Annamma Thomas, Tom Thomas, Roy Thomas, Mathew Manjayadil, Alphine Shaju, and Sily Shaju. They have been charged with murder, conspiracy, and forgery, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The trial is expected to begin soon, and the prosecution is likely to seek the death penalty for the accused.

Public and Media Attention

The Koodathayi Murders have attracted widespread public and media attention, both in India and abroad, due to the shocking nature and magnitude of the crimes. The case has been compared to the infamous Cyanide Mohan case, in which a serial killer from Karnataka poisoned and killed 20 women between 2003 and 2009.

The case has also inspired several books, documentaries, and films, such as Curry and Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case, a Netflix docuseries that chronicles the investigation and the aftermath of the murders. The case has also raised questions about the loopholes and lapses in the criminal justice system, and the need for more awareness and vigilance among the public.

Netflix Documentary

Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case is a four-part documentary series that premiered on Netflix on December 18, 2023. The series, directed by Rajesh Pillai, explores the chilling facts and details behind the Koodathayi cyanide killings and features interviews with investigators, relatives, neighbors, journalists, and experts involved in the case. The series also examines the psychological profile of Jolly and the social and cultural factors that enabled her to commit the crimes and evade detection for so long.

The series has received positive reviews from critics and viewers, who praised its gripping narration, unbiased perspective, and insightful analysis. The series has also sparked debates and discussions on the issues of crime, justice, and morality in society. The series has been nominated for several awards, including the Best Documentary Series at the International Emmy Awards 2024.