Man Sought to Dismiss Poisoning Charges After Colleague’s Water Was Laced with Toxic Metal
Man seeks to clear record after poisoning co-worker's water bottle with cadmium, triggering legal battle over future employment.
POLICY WIRE — Berkeley, United States — A man accused of lacing a coworker’s water bottle with toxic cadmium is now seeking to have his felony conviction dismissed, citing concerns over its impact on future job prospects.
The incident occurred in 2019 when David Xu, a chemical engineer, was caught on camera placing cadmium into Rong Yuan’s water bottle at their workplace. Surveillance footage, secretly recorded by Yuan and shared with ABC 7, showed Xu opening a white container and pouring its contents into the bottle before quickly leaving and returning to adjust its position.
Yuan, who worked as a metallurgist at Berkeley Engineering and Research, reported experiencing severe health issues beginning in 2017, including hair loss and vomiting. She noticed her symptoms worsened after drinking from her water bottle and eventually discovered Xu had poisoned her twice in early 2019. After turning the evidence over to authorities, Xu was convicted of one count of poisoning in 2023, though a second charge and an attempted murder count were dropped as part of a plea deal.
Xu completed two years of probation in March 2024 and is now requesting that an Alameda County judge dismiss his conviction, which would allow him to legally claim he has no criminal record. However, the district attorney’s office has opposed the request, citing concerns about public safety. Meanwhile, Yuan expressed frustration with the legal system, fearing that a dismissal would prevent future employers from seeing the conviction.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
