← Into The Dark
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A Mochi Moment from Mark who writes I just want to thank you for making GLP1s affordable. What would have been over $1,000 a month is just $99 a month with mochi. Money shouldn't be a barrier to healthy weight. Three months in and I have smaller jeans and a bigger wallet. You're the best. Thanks Mark. I'm Mayra Amit, founder of Mochi Health. To find your mochi moment, visit joinmochi.com.
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Mark is a Mochi member compensated for his story Monday Sidekick the AI agent that knows you and your business, thinks ahead and takes action task at anything seriously. Monday Sidekick AI you'll love to use Start a free trial today on Monday.com you're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hi everybody and welcome back to the into the Dark podcast. I'm your host Peyton Moreland and I am so happy that you are here and listening to this show. Show if you are watching on YouTube, please please please subscribe turn on notifications so you don't miss an episode. And if you are listening on audio and can leave me a 5 star review that would be awesome. For my 10 seconds I wanted to share that over on my Twitch account, which is where I do my live streams basically sometimes every day, sometimes every other day. But I'm live streaming over there all the time. I have started doing like relaxing coloring live streams. So if you are kind of into the vibes, the fall vibes, I turn on music, I like talk to you guys and you guys help me pick out like what picture, what colors. It's been so fun and actually really relaxing for me as well. And everyone in the comments agrees that it's just like the vibe. They just put it on the TV and let it play. So yeah, I wanted to let you know that I've been doing that and I plan on doing more coloring live streams. So again, if you're into that, just go check out my Twitch. That being said, let's get into today's episode Trigger Warning this episode includes discussions of suicide, so please listen with care. Halloween is coming and let's be honest, everyone has a different way of celebrating. Some people are all about the costumes and the parties. They love going out, being the best dressed in the room and enjoying themed treats and cocktails. Others love the scary parts of Halloween. They make a point of hitting all of the haunted houses in town and binging horror movies. But if you're still pretty young or if you have children, Halloween probably means trick or treating. This is the one time a year when it is considered socially acceptable to wander around your town ringing people's doorbells and asking them for candy. If you did this any other month, you would probably get weird looks. Or even worse, you might find yourself in danger. Because there's a reason we tell children not to talk to strangers or accept candy from them. Except some kids actually never heard those kinds of warnings. And that could be true of 16 year old Yoshi Hatteri. See, he didn't grow up in the United States. Yoshi was from Japan, which had a very different culture and very different norms around the way strangers treat one another. When he was growing up, Yoshi didn't know much about American society. He had never seemed all that interest in the USA at all. Instead, Yoshi was a huge rugby fan and he knew that that sport wasn't very popular in the States. And on top of that, Yoshi was very interested in fitness and incredibly outgoing. He was the sort of person who knew how to charm strangers and he always had a ton of friends. However, Yoshi barely spoke English, so he didn't have many opportunities to talk to Americans or learn about what life was like on the other side of the Pacific. Except then, when he was in high school, Yoshi actually decided to apply for a foreign exchange program. And if he got in, it would give him the opportunity to spend an entire year living and studying in America. Now, Yoshi's parents were shocked that he was even interested in going overseas. But they did support his decisions. And the good news was that he'd always worked hard and been very smart. So he got accepted into the program. And as soon as Yoshi realized he was going to the United States, he was thrilled. It was a complete turnaround from his earlier disinterest in American culture. He now couldn't wait to move, go on a new adventure and experience a lifestyle that was completely different from what he was used to. So in the summer of 1992, he arrived in the town that was supposed to be his new home for the next year, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was staying there with his host family, husband and wife Holly and Dick Haymaker and their son Webb. Now, Web was actually the same age as Yoshi, so the two of them were going to be attending the same high school together in the fall. The hope was that Web's friends would welcome Yoshi into their circle, at least until he learned enough English to meet people on his own. Still, it was tricky at first for Yoshi to get used to living in the United States. He didn't always know how he was supposed to behave in social situations, but. But what he lacked in knowledge, he definitely made up for with enthusiasm. Even with the language barrier, Yoshi was still outgoing. He loved making friends. He was always smiling, which helped put everyone else at ease. And when he didn't know what to say or how to say what he was thinking, he would mime or draw pictures or find other ways to make sure people understood him. And pretty quickly, he learned that he could get attention and. And praise by showing off. Now, I mentioned before that Yoshi was very into fitness. Well, sometimes he would lie on the ground and encourage a classmate to sit on his back. Then he would start doing push ups, lifting himself and the classmate at the same time. No one else in the school was strong enough to do that. So this was one of the ways that Yoshi found to just connect with and impress his peers. And people ate it up. He was the charming and fun foreign exchange student. He didn't even need to speak much English to get close to people. All this to say, even though there were challenges, Yoshi was on his way to becoming very popular. His classmates liked him, they got along with him. And it should be no surprise that he and Web both received an invitation to a Halloween party at a friend's house in late October. Remember, we're in the 90s. Yoshi had only been living in the United States for two months by this point, but he was excited to see how Americans celebrated this spooky holiday. So first, he and Webb had to pick out their costumes. Webb wore a neck brace and a lot of bandages, like he'd been in a bad accident. And Yoshi was actually a huge fan of John Travolta movies. So he wore a white tuxedo, which looked similar to one of the outfits from the film Fever. So on the night of October 17, 1992, they got dressed and ready to go. Then they said bye to Webb's parents, Dick and Holly, and promised they wouldn't be out too late. Not that the haymakers were even worried. Dick and Holly had plans to see a movie that night, so they left the house after telling the boys to go have fun on Halloween. All right, you guys. Fall is here, kids are back in school, vacations are over, and it is officially the start of cozy season, which means it's time to slide into some Bombas. You know Bombas, the most comfortable socks, slippers, tees, and underwear out there made from premium materials that actually make sense for this time of year. This is what I love about Bombas. They have the season's softest materials. Think merino wool that keeps you warm when it's chilly but cool when it's hot. Cotton that is softer, stronger and more breathable than regular cotton. And even Ragwool, the thick, durable, classic cozy sock you'll want all fall. And they have footwear. It is not just socks. Bombas designed slippers that make it hard to leave the house again. You can get inside slippers or even outside slides. And the best part is their mission. For every item you buy, Bombas donates one to someone experiencing homelessness. Over 150 million items have been donated thanks to customers and with their happiness guarantee. If you're not 100% into what you got, they'll make it right. No risk, all reward. Plus they are available through international shopping to over 200 countries. You guys know I love Bombas. I posted a Q and A on my Instagram the other day and someone said, what's your favorite socks? And I know they only ask because I'm always raving about Bombas and I needed to say it for them. You need new socks and go check out Bombas. Head over to bombas.comaudio and use code audio for 20 off your first purchase. That's Bombas B O M B A S.com audio don't forget code audio at checkout for 20% off.
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This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses. Monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations now.
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Finally, Webb and Yoshi got in the car to head to the party. Here's the problem. Webb hadn't been to this particular person's house before, so he wasn't entirely sure where it was. And it being 1992, an era before smartphones and GPS devices, he's kind of looking around for the address and gets lost. Eventually, though, they do spot a house on the correct street. It is covered in Halloween decorations. There's tons of cars parked out front. It seemed like the people who lived there had a lot of guests over. And so Web and Yoshi were like, this has to be the party. Web parks the car. Then he and Yoshi check the house number again. It looked like they were at the right house. So they walk up to the front door. Except Web and Yoshi had made a mistake. They weren't at the right house. The friend who was throwing the Party lived at an address with the number 10131, and they were at 10031 1. So they had swapped two digits and were actually pretty far from where they were supposed to be. This house actually belonged to Rodney Pierce, his wife, Bonnie, and their three children. Their youngest was just a baby, and naturally, Rodney and Bonnie were exhausted on this Halloween night. It was a lot of work that they had been taking care of a newborn, and when you have an infant at home, it's not always practical to go big for the holidays. So they didn't even have any Halloween plans. They weren't expecting anyone to come over. When Rodney and Bonnie heard someone knocking on the front door, they were surprised, a little nervous, mostly because they didn't know who it was. There's a chance they might not even really know what day it is, because Bonnie's first thought is that someone was there to hurt them. Now, keep in mind, she had no reason to think this. Nobody had ever threatened her or her family. She didn't have any enemies. But everyone's mind can play tricks on them, especially when they're tired and haven't slept. And Bonnie was no exception. Her heart was pounding when she went to the door and cracked it open, and she saw two teenage boys on the porch. They were in costume, but she could see their faces clearly. She knew they were strangers. They had no reason to be here. Before they had a chance to explain who they were and why they were there, Bonnie slammed the door closed. But that wasn't the end of it, because now Bonnie's mind, apparently was running wild with possibilities. All she could think was that if these two teenagers get inside the house, they could do something to her and her baby. So she told Rodney that she had a bad feeling, that she didn't feel safe, and then said, go get the gun. Now, by this time, Rodney was somehow just as frightened as Bonnie was. So he grabbed the revolver that he had for personal protection, and then he opened the front door. Except Webb and Yoshi weren't standing there anymore. Apparently, it had thrown them off. When Bonnie had answered the door and then shut it in their faces, they realized they were at the wrong address, leaving. Except when they heard the door open, they turned around and actually started walking back toward the house, maybe thinking that they could ask them for directions. He and Yoshi didn't even have a chance to say a word. Instead, Rodney, standing in the doorway, lifted his gun, aimed it, and yelled, freeze. Now, obviously, Web stops moving immediately, but Yoshi keeps walking toward the house. He kind of Starts bouncing from one foot to the next and is like, we're here for the party. We're here for the party. He's kind of, like, jumping around. Obviously, he doesn't know the word freeze. So Rodney, at this point, claims he's terrified. He'd expected the boys to listen when he told them to freeze. And now Yoshi is bouncing around talking about a party. And it was such an odd response that, according to Rodney, he just acted on instinct. Without thinking, he pulled the trigger while the gun was aimed at Yoshi's chest. Now, as soon as Webb heard the sound of a gunshot, he broke out into a run. He sprinted all the way to the next house over and began pounding on the door. Now, when the people who lived there answered, Webb explained. Your neighbor just tried to shoot me and my friend. You need to call 911. Except that's when he realizes Yoshi isn't with him. He thought Yoshi had ran away with him. But Yoshi was still in Rodney's front yard. So after Webb spoke to the police and explained what happened on the phone, he crept back to the house next door. I can only imagine how terrified he must have felt going to look for Yoshi. I mean, from his perspective, this man had threatened him with a gun and shot him for no reason. There was no explanation or justification for what Rodney had done. And Web was probably afraid that if he went to check on his friend, he would be shot next. So the good news is that Rodney left him alone this time. But sadly, when Webb spotted Yoshi lying on the sidewalk, he could tell that his friend was badly hurt. He was bleeding a lot. Web knelt beside him and tried his best to apply pressure to the wound, except it felt like he wasn't doing enough. Yoshi was obviously unwell. The good news was that the ambulance arrived in no time at all. And as the doctors loaded Yoshi onto a stretcher, Webb asked them if he was going to be okay. Like, please tell me. They don't really give him a straight answer. Instead, they lift Yoshi inside and explained to Web that he wasn't allowed to go. He wasn't allowed to ride in the ambulance with Yoshi. Instead, he would have to figure out how to get to the hospital on his own. And then the ambulance drove away. Webb did the only thing he could do next. He goes back to his parked car and heads toward the nearest hospital. By the time he arrived, his parents were already there, and they had been briefed on what had happened. The police had actually notified them of the shooting. As soon as they had identified Yoshi. So the first thing Webb asked them was whether Yoshi was going to be okay. Except Dick and Holly weren't quite sure how to answer. See, like I mentioned before, they had been out at a movie that night and the film had gotten particularly violent. And as they were leaving the theater, Holly turned to Dick and she told him she was glad that their life just wasn't like that movie. They didn't need to worry about the people they knew being hunted or hurt or killed. And ironically, that's when Holly's beeper went off. She found a payphone, called the number from her beeper, and found herself on the line with the Baton Rouge police Department. And as soon as the officer picked up, they told Holly, your foreign exchange student Yoshi has been killed. His remains were at the hospital and their son was on his way there. Josie, it's your new nanny, Polly.
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The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. A Hulu original. What do you know about her? Now streaming.
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You think if you try hard enough you can stop bad things from happening, but you can't.
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Good health. Get out. Is hard to find.
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You made me do this.
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A Hulu original. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rated R. Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus for bundled subscribers. Terms apply.
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It's Hulu Wean on Disney plus. Watch frightful family favorites like Hocus Pocus and Tim Burton's the Nightmare before Christmas on Disney Plus. Then take the terror to 10 with a thrilling new remake of the Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Scream and more with Huluween on Disney. All these and more screaming this Halloween season with Hulu on Disney. Bundle subscription required. 18 Select Hulu content via Disney Plus. Additional content on Hulu app terms apply. Visit disneyplus.com hulu for details.
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So Dick and Holly rush right over and now they have to look at their 16 year old son and say, yeah, he's actually dead now. For all three of them, it was so hard to believe that Yoshi was just gone. He had been so full of life and it had been snuffed out in a single instant. On top of that, the circumstances of this shooting simply make no sense. When the police asked Webb to give a statement on what had happened, he assured them there was no reason. Rodney fired. He and Yoshi hadn't done anything aggressive or threatening. They'd gone to the wrong address while looking for their friend's house. That's it. They were unarmed. They hadn't even said a word to Rodney or Bonnie. They didn't talk to them. They did nothing to make them think that they had posed any kind of danger. And he reminded the officers after Bonnie had answered and slammed the door closed, he and Yoshi were like, we must be at the wrong place. They were leaving the property. If Rodney hadn't opened the door back up and engaged back with them, they wouldn't have turned around. Instead, Rodney chose to open the door, brandish a weapon, and fire completely unprovoked. Now, of course, as Webb gave his testimony, the officers had one question. Why, when Rodney yelled freeze, did Yoshi not respond? But Webb has a theory. He's like, listen, guns are very rare in Japan. Almost nobody owns a firearm. So maybe even though he didn't understand the word freeze, even when he saw the gun, Yoshi still might not have realized what was going on. It could have been a prop. Yoshi believed it was the Halloween party. So in Yoshi's mind, it seemed like they'd made it to the house. Someone answered in costume and said something he didn't understand because of the language barrier, which was normal for him. And then he'd begun dancing and singing because he's excited about the party. He's very outgoing. This is his personal. And then Rodney had killed him over nothing. This is Webb's story, except when the police asked Rodney for his side of the story. He claims he had a very good reason to kill Yoshi. He insisted it was self defense. According to Rodney's story, Yoshi's dance had been threatening and erratic. In fact, it apparently didn't even seem like a dance to Rodney. He said it looked more like Yoshi was just kind of bouncing around, gearing up to attack him. Rodney told the investigators he had done what he needed to protect himself and his family. And ultimately, the police decided they believed Rodney's story. So they ruled Yoshi's death an accident. The idea was that Yoshi hadn't actually been a threat, but Rodney had good reason to think he was. Rodney didn't get charged with anything because he did have the right to defend himself. This was true. Even if he was never in any actual danger. It was enough that he believed the danger was real. So the police closed the case then and there, which was shocking to everyone who had known Yoshi during his short time in the United States. He had built up a reputation as someone who was kind, sweet, and thoughtful. He had never hurt anyone or acted aggressive. It was just impossible to believe that Rodney could have been that terrified of him. Instead, rumors started going around that Rodney was lying about what he'd been thinking and feeling. And there were accusations that there had been a racial bias, an anti Asian racial bias, and he was claiming self defense for the fact that he murdered someone based off of how they look. And as for the Haymaker family, they had other problems to deal with besides the gossip. For example, they had no idea how to even talk to Yoshi's relatives about everything that had happened. I mean, they now have to call his family and say, yeah, he was murdered. And the truth is, Yoshi's parents were devastated. On the day when Yoshi's mother, Mieko, heard the news, she shut herself in her bedroom and refused to come out. She cried and cried because it was all she could bring herself to do. But then she realized there was still more she could do for Yoshi. So she and her husband Masa flew to the United States. When they land, they meet up with Dick and Holly. And the first thing they ask is, how is Web feeling? They understood that a lot of people were in shock and that they were grieving. Webb was there when all this happened. Dick and Holly were touched by Yoshi's parents thoughtfulness. And Yoshi's parents continued to surprise everyone around them. For example, they spoke at Yoshi's memorial using a translator. And during his mother's speech, she actually expressed sympathy for Rodney, the man who had killed her son. She said she held him responsible, but she could see how he was a victim, too. He was a product of a culture where people were taught to distrust their neighbors. He had fallen prey to fear. Instead of having a simple conversation with Webb and Yoshi that didn't make what he'd done okay. But she said it was understandable. And more importantly, she believed that she could do something to change American culture and its laws. She thought that the United States could be transformed so people like Rodney wouldn't have to be scared anymore and nobody else would ever let their paranoia rule their actions. Nobody should ever have to die because they crossed paths with someone who was irrationally scared. So she thought the first step was to try to ban firearms in America. Keep in mind the gun control movement in the United States at the time was very different than it is today. The issue was still controversial, just like it is now. But a lot of politically informed people believed it was very possible that the US Might actually ban guns nationwide within a few years. There was a lot of support for strict laws around who was allowed to buy and own these kinds of weapons. And Yoshi's parents thought they could help get the Legislation passed by telling Yoshi's story. So they began traveling around America giving speeches about the importance of keeping guns out of the hands of people like Rodney. They talk about how their culture in Japan was very different, namely that nobody really owned guns. They argued that Americans would be safer too, if they didn't have to wonder if their neighbors were armed and dangerous. The family even distributed a petition in both the US And Japan. It was a call for people to get rid of all their guns they owned and to also agree not to buy new ones. His mother said she wrote it after she had a dream about Yoshi. His spirit allegedly told her exactly what the petition should say. And in her dream, he said that she should distribute it all around the world. So that's exactly what she did. In Japan, 1.7 million people signed this pledge. But here in the United States, it only got 150,000 signatures, which, to be clear, is still a lot. However, it was also an early sign that many people in the US did not agree with Yoshi's parents calls for stricter gun control. Or at the very least, they weren't willing to work toward making those laws a reality. Even so, Yoshi's case was getting a lot of attention. Locals planted daffodils all across the city of Baton Rouge in Yoshi's honor. They organized events. They said his name and Yoshi's loved ones created scholarships. They even established a program to send American students overseas to Japan for one year. The hope was that if young people from the US could see what life was like in a country with strict gun control, it would change the way they thought. They would then go home and become advocates for change. Now, in the midst of all of these memorials and the new programs, the police department was starting to get a little embarrassed. Lots of people were starting to criticize them for failing to hold Rodney responsible for the shooting because they don't want the guns to be blamed. The Governor of Louisiana got involved and so did several Japanese ambassadors. They pressured the police department until finally the officers actually agreed to charge Rodney with manslaughter. They still weren't treating this case as a murder, but at least Rodney was facing some kind of legal consequence. Except during his trial, Rodney continues to say that he killed Yoshi in self defense. He admitted that he now understood that Yoshi hadn't posed a threat to him, but at the time, he felt like the danger was real. I also think it's worth noting that while he was on the stand, he repeatedly referred to Yoshi by using a racial Slur. So except when his wife testified, she backed her husband up. Bonnie described Yoshi's dance as extremely unusual. She said any reasonable person would understand why she and Rodney were so scared of him. And apparently the jury found this testimony persuasive. They found Rodney not guilty after only deliberating for three hours. After he was acquitted, Rodney gave a statement to the press. He apologized for killing Yoshi and said he was planning to get rid of all of the guns he owned. In response, the haymakers said, okay, we can sympathize with Rodney too. They could tell he was traumatized, and they hoped everyone, including Rodney, would just be able to heal and move on. Except this isn't the end of the story. It wasn't even the end of Rodney's legal troubles. So after the criminal trial ended, Yoshi's family sued Rodney, his wife Bonnie, and their home insurance company. And they won every lawsuit. It was honestly kind of a shock. Usually, home insurance policies didn't cover intentional shootings. But in this case, the company didn't even put up a fight. They gave a hundred thousand US dollars to Yoshi's family. And as for Rodney and Bonnie, they fought the lawsuit against them. In court, they said the same thing. Rodney had killed Yoshi in self defense. Except this time the judge doesn't buy the excuse. And he ruled that the shooting was unlawful and ordered them to give $650,000 to Yoshi's family. And then Yoshi's family used the money to fund their gun control advocacy. Their movement won a big victory In November of 1993, roughly one year after Yoshi's death. That's when Congress passed the Brady Bill, which was a new law requiring background checks and waiting periods for certain gun purchases. And afterward, his parents continued to work with advocacy groups. They thought major changes were still possible, except of course, it's now today. And their target of getting guns to be illegal has not happened. This topic is extremely controversial, with a lot of strong feelings on both sides. Yoshi's family didn't change American society the way they had hoped. And in 2022, they both announced that they were retiring from their work. It had been 30 years since Yoshi's death. They were getting older. It was too hard to keep up with political change, so it was time to retire. I'll also note that Yoshi's host parents, Dick and Holly, spent years helping working for stricter gun control laws as well. But by the time they were in their mid to late 70s, they also had to step back, give themselves A chance to rest. But of course, they weren't the only ones who were impacted by Yoshi's violent death. Remember, Webb was there. He watched him get shot. He sat with him on the sidewalk desperately trying to save his life. And sadly, it wasn't enough. And after the homicide, Webb was never the same. He was deeply traumatized by what he'd seen. And to make matters worse, he felt guilty. It wasn't his fault that Rodney had shot Yoshi. Still, he couldn't let go of this nagging feeling that he should have handled the situation differently. He kept thinking that maybe if he had just responded quicker or found a way to de escalate, Yoshi would still be alive. And the weight of that belief was always on his shoulders. By the time he was in college, Webb knew he wanted to help other people who had survived equally traumatizing experiences. So he goes on to become a child therapist. It's impossible to say how many young people he helped during his years working as a mental health professional. But sadly, it never felt like enough for Webb. Decades went by. He was still haunted by what had happened. And I'm very, very sad to report that on March 2, 2022, Webb did take his own life. His parents believed he did it because he had never been able to deal with the pain of Yoshi's death. If his friend hadn't been killed in 1992, perhaps Webb would also still be alive today. I also want to share one detail from his parents statement about Webb's passing. They didn't specify the cause of his death, but they were clear that he didn't use a gun like his parents and Yoshi's. He also believed firearms were never the right answer. But Webb's death just makes this story extra tragic. Because Yoshi wasn't the only person who lost his life because of that shooting. The world changed as the result of one man pulling the trigger in a moment of fear and panic. And in many ways, Yoshi's story is scarier and more disturbing than any Halloween themed movie. Because it's real. Honestly, something like this could happen to anyone. Yoshi didn't do anything wrong. The night he died, he got lost. He knocked on the door and misunderstood what Rodney said. That could happen to any of us. So keep that in mind the next time you ring someone's doorbell. Whether you're just going to a party, trick or treating, or asking for directions. The world can be a frightening place. And when fear gets out of hand, it can lead to tragedy. Thank you guys so much for listening or watching today's episode. And I will see you next time with another one. Goodbye.
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And, Doug, here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.
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Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.
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Cut the camera. They see us.
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Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty Savings.
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Very. Underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.