A California chemical engineer who secretly poisoned his colleague with a toxic heavy metal for nearly 18 months escaped an attempted murder conviction after prosecutors dropped the charges in a plea deal.
David Xu, a metallurgist at Berkeley Engineering and Research, pleaded no contest to a felony count of poisoning after hidden-camera footage allegedly showed him pouring cadmium into his colleague Rong Yuan’s water bottle.
Xu allegedly contaminated Yuan’s food and drinks between 2017 and 2019, leaving her battling persistent vomiting, hair loss and an unusual sour taste in her mouth.
Yuan’s condition deteriorated so severely that she required repeated hospital visits, but she struggled to identify the cause of her illness.
According to The San Francisco Standard, Yuan became suspicious that someone was tampering with her food and drinks and installed a hidden camera at her workplace.
The footage reportedly captured Xu approaching her desk and pouring a substance into her water bottle on separate occasions.
Yuan handed the recordings to the police, prompting an investigation that led to Xu’s arrest in March 2019.
Recalling her reaction to watching the footage for the first time, Yuan told the publication: “My blood was frozen.”
“I almost died. I experienced death so, so close so many times. I cannot let him go,” she added.
The report said Xu had responded casually when Yuan emailed colleagues on November 27, 2018, to report severe vomiting and take a sick day.
“You should work from home until you feel better. No reason to rush in,” he wrote, suggesting that the workplace might be affected by mould.
Following his arrest, Xu was released on $2m bail. His home-confinement conditions were subsequently modified several times, and his travel restrictions were eventually lifted, the report said.
In late 2023, attempted murder charges against Xu were dropped under a plea agreement offered by former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.
Xu subsequently pleaded no contest to one felony count of poisoning and was sentenced to two years’ probation. He received credit for one day served in jail.
Yuan had sought nearly $500,000 in restitution, but the court ordered Xu to pay $7,058.
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