50-year-old Rong Yuan, who lives in California, USA, shared the camera recordings with the public years later, claiming that his colleague David Xu poisoned him repeatedly.
According to Yuan's claim, the reason behind his increasingly severe health problems, which started in 2017, was a highly toxic heavy metal mixed into the drinking water at his workplace.
In the footage examined within the scope of the investigation into the incident, it was seen that Xu reached into the area where Yuan's water bottle was located, and in a later recording, he poured the substance from a small white container into the bottle. Laboratory examinations revealed a cadmium concentration in the woman's drinking water that reached up to 3.5 million times the federal drinking water limit.
According to Yuan, his health problems started in 2017. The ailments reported to be experienced by 50-year-old Yuan, not the young woman, included constant vomiting, retching, hair loss and other symptoms whose cause could not be determined.
Yuan, who applied to hospitals and different specialists for about two years, could not find out the cause of the problems he was experiencing. The woman, who could not find an answer to explain her complaints despite the doctors' investigations, eventually suspected that someone might be interfering with the water she kept on her desk at work.
Yuan, who placed a hidden camera near his work area in February 2019, soon obtained images that he thought supported his suspicions. While one of the recordings showed Xu reaching into the area where the water bottle was located, another video dated March 4, 2019 showed him pouring the substance from a small white container into the bottle.
Yuan turned the recordings over to Berkeley police. In laboratory tests performed during the investigation, it was determined that the woman's drinking water contained extremely high amounts of cadmium. The concentration was up to 3.5 million times the federal drinking water limit, according to laboratory records reviewed. In addition to Yuan, cadmium was also detected in blood samples taken from his parents. David Xu was detained in March 2019.
Following the investigation, Xu was charged with attempted premeditated murder and two counts of poisoning. However, at the end of the years-long judicial process, the case reached a much different point than the initial accusations.
Xu entered a no contest statement in September 2023, pleading not guilty to only one charge of felony poisoning. This statement in US law means that the defendant agrees to be punished by not contesting the charge; It is not technically the same as a direct admission of guilt. As part of the deal, the attempted murder charge and another poisoning charge were dropped.
According to The San Francisco Standard's October 10 report, the agreement made under former Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price initially provided for a one-year probation. At the sentencing hearing in March 2024, the judge described the agreement as "extremely generous" considering the conditions in the file and increased the probation period to two years.
Xu received credit for time spent in detention and spent a significant portion of the trial outside prison. According to Berkeley Scanner's news in April 2024, measures such as house arrest and electronic monitoring were also implemented during this period.
The court also instructed Xu to stay away from Yuan and his family. The compensation the defendant was ordered to pay to Yuan was 7 thousand 58 dollars. This amount was well below the approximately 500 thousand dollars requested by Yuan.
Xu completed his probation in March 2026. Now he wants his felony conviction to be dismissed by court order.
Yuan, who was not satisfied with the outcome of the judicial process, expressed his disappointment in his statement to The San Francisco Standard: "This legal system has already failed me. This is my last resort."
Yuan wants the camera recordings he shared with the public to bring to the agenda what happened at the beginning of the case. The woman is concerned that if the request to dismiss the conviction is granted, Xu's past criminal record will become difficult for future employers to learn.
Under California law, people who successfully complete their probation terms and meet the necessary conditions can apply to have their convictions dismissed. However, this process does not completely eliminate court records and does not erase all consequences of conviction. The Alameda District Attorney's Office opposes Xu's application.
Yuan disputes the toxicology report submitted by Xu's defense, which questions whether exposure to cadmium caused permanent health problems. The woman argues that the poisoning still affects her health and prevents her from working full-time.
Berkeley police Sergeant Jennifer Wilson, who led the investigation, also told The San Francisco Standard that security camera footage played an important role in revealing what happened to Yuan.
Xu did not respond to requests for comment from The San Francisco Standard, either directly or through his lawyer.
The defendant's application to dismiss his conviction is scheduled to be heard in Alameda County Superior Court on Monday, October 12. However, as of Monday night, it was not yet clear whether the judge had ruled on the application.
With the records he has now made public, Yuan aims to both explain his experiences and draw attention to the outcome of the case that lasted for years.
