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Blurring the lines between reel and real, Gabriel Hikari Yad-Elohim kills an 89-year-old believing himself to be ‘Bleach’ anime character Ichigo Kurosaki.
Aakriti Agarwala | January 14, 2025 8:09 pm
Oftentimes fans try to blur the lines between reel and real and sometimes it unleashes a deadly situation- such is the spine-chilling case of Gabriel Hikari Yad-Elohim. The court convicted Gabriel for murdering the 89-year-old Michael Mulholland in Auckland. The case now suggests that he was enacting a scene from the popular Japanese anime series ‘Bleach.’ This unnerving revelation serves as new evidence, unveiling a new angle to the case. Reportedly, he was embodying the character Ichigo Kurosaki during the brutal attack. Gabriel is currently serving a life sentence.
Gabriel Hikari Yad-Elohim committed the atrocious murder back in 2017. He struck Mulholland approximately 90 times, including kicks and stomps to the head. The forensic psychiatrist in charge of the case noted uncanny and eerie similarities between Gabriel’s behaviour and a scene from ‘Bleach.’ In the drama, Ichigo Kurosaki, a Soul Reaper, battles evil spirits.
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The revelation fuels the speculation that Gabriel was schizophrenic and guided by the anime ‘Bleach’ at the time of the murder. Notably, he also delivered a monologue in Japanese that mirrored dialogue from the show. This opens a discourse around his mental state during the crime.
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On the day of the murder, the convict went to the victim’s apartment building with a sex worker to buy drugs. Subsequently, he was left waiting and was also robbed of his money. In a fit of ‘delusional’ fury, he confronted Mulholland, whom he had never met before. Resultantly, Gabriel made Mulholland the target of his seven-minute-long fatal assault.
In the ongoing legal row, Gabriel is now appealing to the Supreme Court, arguing his mental condition. He hopes to overturn his conviction by stating that he was not in control of his actions and was guided by his delusions. Meanwhile, the court has noted the evidence from the drama ‘Bleach.’ The development suggests that the convict’s mental state could serve as grounds for reconsideration.
Ichigo Kurosaki is a fictional character from the ‘Bleach’ manga series and its adaptations. Author Tite Kubo created the anime character. He is the protagonist of the hit series. Ichigo receives Soul Reaper powers after meeting Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper who patrols around the fictional city of Karakura Town. He works as her stand-in and protects people from evil spirits called Hollows. Ichigo sends good spirits- wholes, to a dimension known as the Soul Society.
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The uncanny case seems almost like a fictional plot where a fictional character is embroiled in a real-life crime. It remains to be seen how the new revelation pivots the fate of Gabriel’s case.
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