Engineer angry after court cleared colleague who poisoned her drinking water [photo/Courtesy]
A San Francisco chemical engineer has expressed outrage after a court cleared the criminal record of a former colleague who admitted to poisoning her drinking water over an extended period.
Rong Yuan, a Berkeley-based professional, spoke to ABC7 News following a judge’s decision to erase the felony conviction of David Xu, despite strong opposition from prosecutors.
Yuan began experiencing a baffling range of severe health problems in 2017, including persistent vomiting and significant hair loss. For more than two years, medical specialists struggled to identify the cause of her deteriorating health.
The mystery began to unravel when Yuan’s mother noticed a strange smell coming from her daughter’s reusable water flask. Suspecting something was wrong, Yuan installed a hidden camera at her office desk to investigate.
Surveillance footage seen by TNX Africa captured Xu secretly adding a hazardous substance to her water container. Subsequent chemical analysis revealed cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, at concentrations reportedly 3.5 million times higher than federal safety limits.
Because Yuan occasionally used water from the flask to prepare food at home, both her parents also tested positive for heavy metal toxicity.
Xu was arrested in 2019 and charged with attempted murder. Under a negotiated plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to poisoning and was sentenced to two years of probation.
On October 12, the court approved his request to have the felony conviction removed from his criminal record.
Yuan expressed anger over the decision, arguing that Xu did not deserve a second chance.
“I don’t think he deserves a second chance,” she said, describing the poisoning as a calculated, long-term crime rather than an impulsive act.
“Poisoning is planned,” she added.
Yuan also said Xu had previously attempted to undermine her career by discouraging her laboratory work and suggesting she seek employment elsewhere. However, his ultimate motive for poisoning her remains unclear.
The prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals has left Yuan with chronic health problems that have limited her ability to work beyond part-time hours.
She sought $500,000 (approximately Sh64.6 million) in restitution to help cover her long-term losses but was awarded only $7,000 (approximately Sh904,000).