A Japanese High Court rules Masumi Hayashi be put to death, after she was found guilty of lacing curry pots at a local festival in Wakayama with arsenic, killing four, among them two children, and injuring 63.

A judge states Hayashi showed intent to kill, knowing the hazard posed by arsenic.

Hayashi is accused of poisoning the pots before the festival, which took place July 1998. She claims she was with a neighbor at the time of the poisoning, making it impossible for her to commit the crime.

Other neighbors, however, deny Hayashi's claims, saying she had been alone with the pots for some time.

Judge Kazuhisa Shirai says based on testimony of local residents, the crimes were committed when the defendant was alone.

Because there was no confession from Hayashi, the district court relied on circumstantial evidence. The arsenic in the curry matched powder found at Hayashi's home and she was the only one who had a clear opprtunity to to poison the pots.

Hayashi's husband is a former exterminator with access to arsenic.