Chemical engineer accused of poisoning co-worker's food and drinks for 18 months

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published 3 April 2019

A 32-year-old chemical engineer in Berkeley, California, has been arrested on attempted murder charges, with authorities saying he spent the last 18 months slowly poisoning one of his co-workers.

David Xu was arrested Thursday and arraigned on Tuesday, charged with willful, deliberate, premeditated attempted murder, felony poisoning, and inflicting great bodily injury.

Court papers obtained by ABC News identify the victim as Rong Yuan, who worked with Xu at Berkeley Engineering and Research. Yuan told investigators that she would sometimes leave her food and drinks unattended in the office, and often noticed a "strange taste and smell." She fell ill last year, and became concerned when two relatives who drank from her water bottle also got sick, court records said.

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All three had their blood tested, and the results showed "elevated levels of cadmium," a metal often found in rechargeable batteries. Investigators looked at surveillance footage from Berkeley Engineering and Research, and saw Xu allegedly pouring something into Yuan's water bottle on Feb. 11 and March 4, court documents state. Police said the water bottle contained "toxic amounts of cadmium," and Yuan is still recovering from the attempted poisoning.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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