Cadmium poisoning victim releases hidden camera video to fight expungement

Key Points:

• David Xu, a former senior materials engineer at Berkeley Engineering and Research, was convicted of poisoning colleague Rong Yuan with cadmium over a period from 2017 to 2019, initially facing charges including attempted murder but accepting a plea deal for one count of poisoning and one year of probation.
• Yuan released hidden-camera footage showing Xu pouring a substance into her water bottle, aiming to counter Xu's request to dismiss his felony conviction after completing probation, despite objections from the district attorney's office.
• Yuan began experiencing severe symptoms such as dry heaving and hair loss after starting work in 2017, leading her to suspect poisoning, which was confirmed after her mother detected a sour taste in her water and Yuan installed a spy camera at her desk.
• The judge extended Xu's probation to two years during sentencing and described the plea deal as "extremely generous," while California law mandates dismissal of felony convictions if probation conditions are met, although the conviction would still remain on Xu's record.
• Yuan described releasing the video as a "last resort" due to her belief that the legal system failed her, emphasizing the life-threatening impact of Xu's actions and her determination not to let him evade accountability.