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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
-
'Voters will have to sort this mess out'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why Gen Z in Nepal is dying over a state social media banIN THE SPOTLIGHT A crackdown on digital platforms has pushed younger Nepalis into increasingly violent clashes with government forces
-
Fly like you know what you're doing with these 5 tips for healthy air travelThe Week Recommends Yes to stretching. Even more yesses to hydration.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in ZürichThe Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
