A California dermatologist has been charged with felony after allegedly poisoning her husband’s tea with Drano.
Dr. Yue “Emily” Yu was charged with one misdemeanor count of domestic battery with bodily harm and three counts of poisoning at a hearing Wednesday.
Yu, a mother of two, faces more than eight years in prison if convicted.
Last year, Yu’s radiologist husband Jack Chen noticed his tea tasted strange, so he set up a nanny camera in the kitchen of their $2.7 million home to investigate.
What he caught was Yu pouring a mysterious liquid into his morning tea, which he took to the police, who helped him determine it was the toxic drain unblocker. Only static images of the alleged poisoning video have been released.
Chen survived the incident, but was left with sores, according to police New York Post. He has since filed for divorce after 10 years of marriage.
Footage allegedly shows Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, 45, putting Drano – a brand of drain cleaner – in her husband Jack Chen’s hot lemonade several times
Dr. Yue P Yu (left) was charged with allegedly poisoning her husband Jack Chen (right)
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement that Yu deliberately destroyed her husband’s sense of security by deliberately torturing him with poison against his knowledge.
“Our homes should be where we feel safest,” he said, according to the Post.
“Yet a licensed medical professional took advantage of her husband’s daily rituals to torment her husband by systematically sprinkling his tea with a Drano-like substance with the intention of causing him pain and suffering.”
Chen’s attorney, Steve Hittleman, told the Post that the father had custody of the couple’s children, and he was pleased to hear about the charges.
“Making sure there’s a chance for justice to be done,” he said. “This is the next step in solving this terrible state of affairs. This is tragic in many ways.”
After his wife’s arrest in August, Chen claimed she had abused him and their children for years.
“When Emily gets frustrated and yells at the kids, she often uses a Chinese phrase that translates to ‘die,'” Chen wrote in a court statement when he sought a restraining order against his wife.
She also tells the kids, ‘your head has a problem,’ ‘your head is sick,’ ‘go fuck yourself,’ ‘damn you idiot,’ ‘stupid son of a bitch,’ and ‘get the hell out of the way,’ Chen wrote.
Yu was released on $30,000 bail after her arrest, and Chen filed a restraining order against her.
Yu will appear in court in August following her arrest. She was released on $30,000 bail
Only static images have been released of the nanny camera footage showing Yu casting
The alleged poison attacks are believed to have occurred at their $2.7 million mansion in Irvine, California
No motive for the shocking crime has emerged. Yu, who works at the Providence Healthcare System in Mission Viejo, has had her work photo removed from her employer’s website. A spokesperson said they were cooperating with police.
Chen said that he and Yu met in 2011 and the couple got married a year later on July 4, 2012.
Chen claimed that his wife’s behavior changed after their son and daughter, who are now seven and eight years old, were born in 2013 and 2014. He also claimed that Yu’s mother, Yuqin ‘Amy’ Gu, also verbally and physically abused their children mistreated.
Chen said that he and Yu met in 2011 and the couple got married a year later on July 4, 2012.
“As early as two years old, Emily and Amy were verbally and then physically abused [our son and daughter] that got more intense as they got older,” Chen said. “They are both verbally and physically abusive to me.” He said the women would call the kids “f***ing stupid.”
Chen claimed that Yu beat her daughter when she was three years old because she wet the bed. Yu is also said to have hit her son on the head and arms when he was two.
“If the kids fall asleep without permission, even if she wakes them up after 11 p.m., demand that [they] go to her room, close the door and let them cry,’ he said.
“At the end, she would sometimes tell the kids to get out and then slam the door behind them, making them cry on her doorstep.”
When the kids played the piano after school, Yu reportedly told them they were “f***ing stupid” until they cried.
After the alleged poisoning, Bingham said Chen started developing symptoms that got worse over the past month.
He said Chen sought medical attention once he fell ill, but could not provide details about whether a blood tests revealed the poison in his bloodstream.
“Because of the integrity of the case, it appears that the poisoning occurred over time,” Bingham said.