A Taiwanese woman who allegedly poisoned an Australian exchange student and was reportedly under investigation after the mysterious death of her husband just months earlier has been charged with attempted murder.
Queensland man Alex Shorey, 25, unknowingly swallowed rat poison allegedly put in grape juice by Yang Ping, 46, after deciding to move back home for financial and fatigue reasons.
After drinking the poisoned juice, Mr Shorey suffered from diarrhea, blood in his urine, vomiting, nose bleeds, abdominal pain and blood spots on his skin and tongue.
Ping, who befriended Shorey while studying Chinese literature in Taiwan, faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.
“Her intention was to mix the poison into Alex’s meals or drinks, which he regularly consumed at his rented home in Taipei, causing him to become ill and forcing him to remain in Taiwan to receive her care,” a statement said of the Taipei District Prosecutors. The agency said this, as reported by the ABC.
While acting as Shorey’s caregiver at the hospital, Ping continued to put rat poison in his food, worsening his condition, prosecutors said.
When the student’s mother, Julie, flew to Taiwan to be with her son, she was staying at Ping’s apartment and found an empty bottle of rat poison.
After telling doctors about the discovery, Ping was no longer allowed to give Mr. Shorey any medication.
A woman who allegedly poisoned Australian exchange student Alex Shorey (pictured left) in Taiwan in March 2023 has been charged with attempted murder
After days of bleeding, Mr Shorey went into hypovolemic shock, meaning his organs were at risk of failing from lack of blood.
A severe allergic reaction to vitamin K treatment in hospital left him with a cardiorespiratory collapse six days later.
When she was arrested, Ping reportedly denied even knowing who Shorey was.
Taiwanese authorities claim she befriended the much younger University of Queensland student after her British husband died unexpectedly just four months earlier.
Detectives investigating his mysterious death in January 2023 discovered the British man had died after experiencing symptoms very similar to Shorey’s.
Doctors who treated the man suspected that he may have ingested rat poison.
Despite this, his body was released to Ping without a forensic autopsy being performed, who subsequently had the body cremated.
The new lead reportedly arose in January this year when the man’s younger brother traveled to Taiwan to seek information after his older brother moved there after marrying a local woman and quickly losing contact with his family.
After days of bleeding, Mr Shorey (pictured in hospital) went into hypovolemic shock, meaning his organs were at risk of failing from lack of blood.
Using the little information the younger brother provided, police discovered that the British national was married to the woman accused of poisoning Mr Shorey.
No charges have been filed in connection with the British man’s death.
There is no suggestion that Ping was in any way responsible for the death of her British husband.
Prosecutors who filed the attempted murder charge against Ping said this was the case ‘a desire to satisfy her personal needs for control, jealousy and revenge’.
‘Although Alex fortunately did not die, the suffering he endured in Taiwan was enormous. “He was at constant risk of massive bleeding from various parts of his body and could have died at any time,” they said.
“The suspect’s actions, methods and attitude after the crime were extremely malicious and there were no extenuating circumstances that could demonstrate compassion.”
Mr Shorey’s family has raised more than $200,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to pay for his medical evacuation to Australia.
The photo shows Stephen and Julie Shorey, the parents of poisoned Australian student Alex Shorey
Doctors at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital confirmed he had “very high levels of toxins” in his body after taking superwarfarin – a highly toxic poison that prevents blood clotting.
His father, Stephen, said his son had suffered another anaphylactic reaction shortly before leaving Taiwan.
“I believe his medical repatriation actually saved his life,” Shorey said.
He told the ABC that his son had now recovered from the poisoning and that they were grateful to everyone who helped him get home in 2023.
“We are blessed,” he said.
Mr Shorey declined to comment on the charges against Ping so as not to prejudice any legal proceedings.