David Xu, a 34-year-old chemical engineer in California, has been arrested and charged for allegedly trying to kill his co-worker with poison. Court records identified the victim as Rong Yuan.
According to court records, Xu — a graduate of the University of California-Berkeley — was arrested by California authorities and charged with attempted murder after he allegedly poisoned his co-worker’s food and water with metal cadmium over the course of several years.
Xu, who was arrested and charged on Thursday, March 28, was a senior materials engineer at Berkeley Engineering And Research. Cadmium, a heavy metal, is also a known carcinogen.
The court records, which were first obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Xu’s female co-worker experienced “serious” health problems after consuming the cadmium-tainted food and water.
Additionally, the court records indicate that after the co-worker gave her water bottle to two of her relatives, they also fell seriously ill.
Furthermore, a review of security camera footage showed Xu adding the poisonous chemical to Yuan’s water bottle.
Julia Jayne, a defense attorney for Xu, characterized the charges as “only allegations.”
“These are allegations, only allegations. Charges have been filed, and I think all of you and the public knows that when charges are brought, an individual, per our constitutional system, is presumed innocent, and that’s exactly how I intend to proceed with this case,” Jayne said to reporters.
At this time, Xu is being held without bond and was scheduled to make an appearance in court for a plea hearing on Thursday, April 4.
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com and we will respond as soon as possible.
