A dermatologist in California who was caught pouring Drano into her husband’s tea says she was trying to deal with an ant infestation, not trying to kill it.
Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, 45, was recorded pouring drain cleaner into her husband Jack Chen’s hot lemon tea for three days in July 2022. Chen, 53, noticed something was wrong with the tea, so used a hidden camera to film her tampering with his tea. drink.
Yu’s divorce lawyer has now told The New York Post his client actually used “unconventional methods” to deal with an ant problem in the couple’s home.
The attorney’s comments came as the two appeared in court on Tuesday as part of divorce proceedings in Orange County Superior Court.
On April 5, a grand jury indicted her on three counts of domestic violence involving bodily harm, according to Orange County prosecutors. She faces more than eight years in prison if found guilty.
Dermatologist Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, 45, says she poured Drano into the tea her husband later drank as a measure against an ant infestation
Footage allegedly shows Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, 45, putting Drano – a brand of drain cleaner – in her husband Jack Chen’s hot lemonade several times
Yue “Emily” Yu, far left, was videotaped pouring drain cleaner into her husband’s, far right, hot lemon tea for three days in July 2022. The two are pictured Tuesday in Orange County Superior Court
Lawyer David Dworakowski said Yu put Drano and sugar in the drink, thinking it would attract and kill the ants.
“While prosecutors are pretending this video of Emily is a ‘smoking gun,’ the reality is she was trying to lure the ants into the glass so they would drown,” he told The Post.
‘Dr. Yu has been a doctor for many years, has never had any problems, and is a loving mother. We believe there is a sinister motive on the part of her ex-husband to take advantage of her in their divorce case,” he added.
Supporting the allegation that Chen acted shamefully, Dworakowski pointed to the fact that he turned over the video footage to his divorce lawyer before going to the police, a move the lawyer described as “strange.”
However, Chen, a radiologist, eventually turned over footage of Yu pouring the Drano into his lemonade at their $2.7 million mansion to Irvine police.
He later filed for divorce and a judge granted him a restraining order against Yu, which also covered their two children, ages seven and eight.
Dr. Jack Chen, a radiologist, will appear in Orange County Superior Court on April 11, 2023
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement earlier this month that Yu deliberately shattered 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 following her arrest last August, which she posted a few days later.
Dr. Jack Chen, 53, leaves Orange County Central Justice Center Court after a divorce hearing
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 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 the birth of their son and daughter in 2013 and 2014. He also alleged that Yu’s mother, Yuqin ‘Amy’ Gu, also verbally and physically abused their children.
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 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.