A California dermatologist has pleaded not guilty to trying to poison her husband after she was caught on camera pouring liquid drain cleaner into his drink. Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, 45, was indicted on three felony counts of poisoning and one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury last month and appeared before an Orange County judge on Thursday, May 18, where she denied all charges.
Yue ‘Emily’ Yu was caught on camera allegedly pouring Drano into 53-year-old radiologist Jack Chen’s lemonade in July 2022 after he thought his drink had a “strange” taste and decided to set up a secret camera in the kitchen. He then took the drink to police, who tested it and discovered the presence of the drain cleaner. Yu and Chen were going through a divorce at the time of the alleged crime.
However, Chen is said to have ingested some of the drink prepared by Yue ‘Emily’ Yu before he realized what was happening. He was later diagnosed with two stomach ulcers, gastritis, and esophagitis as a result, according to court documents obtained by the New York Post.
According to Yu, her husband’s issues all stem from acid reflux, not poisoning. Her lawyer, Scott Simmons, also says that Jack Chen’s symptoms aren’t ones you’d experience with Drano ingestion (as if he would know that). “As you know Drano is a caustic substance. You’d have severe injuries,” Simmons told reporters last month. “His injuries are consistent with a benign condition called GERD or acid reflux.”
As for why the video appeared to show Yu pouring poison into Chen’s drink, her attorneys say she was actually putting the Drano and sugar into the tea to attract ants and drown them. Why she then handed that cup to her husband remains a “mystery.”
Yu was originally arrested in August 2022 and later released on a $30,000 bond. However, she faces up to 8 years and 8 months behind bars if she’s convicted. She’s due back in court on July 27.
