California dermatologist indicted on charges of poisoning tea with drain cleaner
Rachel Schilke
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A California dermatologist was indicted on Wednesday on charges of repeatedly poisoning her husband by putting drain cleaner in his tea.
Yue “Emily” Yu, 45, was charged with three felony counts of poisoning and one felony account of domestic battery with corporal injury. If convicted of all charges, she would face a maximum sentence of eight years and eight months, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
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Last year, Yu allegedly poured a “Drano-like substance” into tea over several weeks, causing her husband, whom his attorney previously identified as Jack Chen, 53, a radiologist, to develop stomach ulcers.
“Our homes should be where we feel the safest,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Yet, a licensed medical professional capitalized on her husband’s daily rituals to torment her husband by systematically plying his tea with a Drano-like substance intending to cause him pain and suffering.”
Chen told investigators that he began noticing a strange taste in the tea that he drinks every day in April 2022. When the taste continued, he installed cameras in his kitchen to see if he could capture evidence.
Chen said that on July 11, 18, and 25, 2022, video showed Yu pouring a substance from a bottle of liquid drain cleaner into Chen’s tea. Chen collected samples of the tea and turned them in to the Irvine Police Department.
The FBI said it “confirmed the substance was consistent with liquid drain cleaner,” prompting police to arrest Yu in August 2022. Yu placed a $30,000 bond to be released from jail.
David Wohl, Yu’s former attorney, previously said Yu “vehemently and unequivocally denies ever attempting to poison her husband or anyone else.” Wohl told NBC News on Thursday that he is no longer representing Yu.
Chen’s attorney said Chen filed a restraining order against Yu and filed for divorce last August, at about the time she was arrested. The couple has been married since 2012 and have two children, ages 7 and 8.
Yu and Chen had been involved in a child custody dispute since last year. She granted him visitation but recently filed to have him financially support her because Yu claimed she had been unable to work since the poisoning allegations surfaced, according to NBC News. The restraining order filing showed Yu called Chen from jail asking him to post bail, but he refused.
The restraining order also alleged that their children “have suffered physical, verbal and emotional abuse by their mother … and their maternal grandmother.”
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Yu will have to self-report to the Medical Board of California, which will determine if she can still continue to practice medicine, according to the indictment requirements, the district attorney’s office said.
She will have an arraignment hearing on April 18 in Santa Ana, California.