Sachito Eto, 65, was hanged on Japan’s death row after being convicted in 2005 for the murders of people she claimed she was exorcising.
Eto had the support of those who believed that she had healing powers, and brainwashed her followers into beating their victims with Taiko drumsticks to abolish the supposed demons.
IBTimes reported that prosecutor’s claimed Eto targeted those she perceived to be a threat to her personal life, describing one instance where “she targeted her 18-year-old love rival, accusing her of being possessed and ordering that she be beaten with drumsticks to cast out her demons.”
Another felon, Yukinori Matsuda, was executed alongside Eto for killing two people during a robbery in 2003.