Woman Releases Video of Alleged Poisoning by Coworker as He Seeks Dismissal of Felony Conviction

<p>A woman whose coworker was convicted of poisoning her has released hidden-camera video that contributed to his conviction, coinciding with his request for a judge to dismiss his felony conviction.</p><p>According to prosecutors, David Xu, a former senior materials engineer at Berkeley Engineering and Research in California, poisoned the food and water of colleague Rong Yuan with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, over a period from 2017 to 2019.</p><p>Xu faced charges that included premeditated attempted murder and two felony counts of poisoning. He accepted a plea deal for one count of poisoning and received one year of probation, to which he pleaded no contest. During his sentencing hearing in 2024, the judge extended his probation to two years, describing the deal as "extremely generous, considering everything in this case," according to the San Francisco Standard.</p><p>Yuan released video footage that appears to show Xu pouring a substance into her water bottle as he was set to request an Alameda County judge to dismiss his felony conviction on Monday.</p><p>The district attorney's office has opposed Xu's request for dismissal, but California law mandates that judges grant such requests if the defendant meets the conditions of probation.</p><p>Yuan stated that releasing the hidden-camera video was her "last resort" due to her belief that the legal system has failed her.</p><p>She began working at Berkeley Engineering and Research in January 2017 and described her first encounter with Xu as tense, stating he told her she could not use the firm's material characterization lab. "I just decided I will never overlap with him," she said. "I’ll just simply do my work, and he can do whatever he wants."</p><p>Over several weeks, Yuan experienced symptoms such as dry heaving and hair loss. The symptoms intensified in July 2017 when she drank from her water bottle and felt as if she were dying.</p><p>By late 2018, after multiple hospital visits, she emailed Xu on November 27, 2018, informing him that she was ill and would not be coming to the office. Xu replied, advising her to work from home and suggested that the office was moldy.</p><p>In January 2019, after drinking from her desk water bottle, Yuan felt a similar sensation of impending death. Her mother tasted the water and noticed a sour flavor, raising suspicions that it had been tampered with. Yuan subsequently purchased a spy camera.</p><p>She placed the camera on her desk on February 11, 2019, and recorded Xu reaching for her water bottle area at 11:04 a.m. Another video from March 4, 2019, shows Xu pouring something into her water bottle.</p><p>"My blood was frozen," Yuan said after viewing the video. "I almost died. I experienced death so, so close so many times. I cannot let him go."</p><p>She reported the video to the Berkeley Police Department shortly thereafter.</p><p>Xu completed his probation in March. While he is seeking to have the conviction expunged, it will remain on his record.</p><p>Fox News Digital has reached out to Xu's attorney for comment.</p>