BY KATE TURNER ’21
Mount Holyoke Professor of Art Rie Hachiyanagi has been charged with multiple counts, including attempted murder, after an alleged attack on another member of Mount Holyoke’s faculty.
Police reported that Hachiyanagi allegedly assaulted the unnamed victim in the victim’s home some time between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2019 with a variety of objects including a rock, a fire poker and gardening shears. The victim, a fellow Mount Holyoke faculty member whose name has not been publicly released, is expected to survive but has been hospitalized with severe injuries.
In an email sent to the Mount Holyoke community on Jan. 3, College President Sonya Stephens stated that Hachiyanagi has been placed on administrative leave “and is not permitted on campus pending further review of the incident.” Hachiyanagi was not named in Stephens’ email, and has not been named by any representative of the College.
According to a police report obtained by Western Mass News, it was Hachiyanagi who initially contacted the Northampton police dispatch. Hachiyanagi reported that she had arrived at the victim’s house for a pre-arranged meeting and had found her on the floor with serious injuries, surrounded by signs of a struggle.
Later, the victim told police that it was Hachiyanagi who had attacked her. She reported that there had been no pre-arranged meeting between herself and Hachiyanagi. According to the police report, Hachiyanagi had come to the victim’s house late at night, saying that she “wanted to talk about her feelings.” When the victim opened the door to let Hachiyanagi in, “she turned around and Hachiyanagi hit her over the head with ‘something hard’ and then repeatedly hit her over the head,” according to WWLP. Eventually, the victim was able to convince Hachiyanagi to call the police.
Hachiyanagi told police “she could not remember anything that occurred after 6 p.m. [that day] as a result of memory issues from multiple concussions,” the Washington Post reported.
As of Jan. 3, Hachiyanagi is being held without bail in the Franklin County House of Correction pending a Feb. 4 hearing. Hachiyanagi was arraigned in Orange County Court, where she pleaded not guilty against the charge of armed assault with attempt to murder a person over the age of 60. Hachiyanagi has also been charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, one count of mayhem and one count of armed assault in a dwelling, according to MassLive.
Hachiyanagi has been a member of Mount Holyoke faculty since 2004. She has taught in the studio art, art history and Asian studies departments.
In her Jan. 3 email, Stephens wrote, “We take very seriously the safety and well-being of every member of our community, and the College is providing support to impacted parties as appropriate.”
Since students returned to campus, College administration officials including Stephens and Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Marcella Runell Hall have reached out to students reminding them of various on-campus counseling services. The College has held two community forums on the incident.
The Mount Holyoke News reached out to several College officials, but none were available for comment on this topic.
Editor’s note: Above is an updated version of the story that was published online by the Mount Holyoke News on Jan. 3. This is a developing story and the Mount Holyoke News will continue to update the community as information becomes available.