Crime · Berkeley, CA
Berkeley Poisoning Conviction Expunged Oct. 12; Victim Speaks Out
A Berkeley engineer spoke publicly after a judge on Oct. 12 expunged the felony conviction of her former coworker, David Xu, who pleaded guilty to poisoning her with cadmium in a 2019 plea deal that included two years of probation. The poisoning began in 2017; testing found cadmium levels 3.5 million times the federal limit in her water bottle, and Yuan and her parents all tested positive for cadmium exposure. Yuan requested $500,000 in restitution but received $7,000, and said she continues to experience ongoing health effects and works only part-time nearly a decade later. Prosecutors had objected to the expungement.