Bay Area woman poisoned by co-worker David Xu speaks out for first time after her felony conviction is expunged by judge

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) — A Berkeley engineer whose colleague was convicted of poisoning her is speaking publicly about the case for the first time after a court agreed to expunge his felony conviction over the objections of prosecutors.

Rong Yuan said she spent years trying to understand a series of unexplained health problems starting in 2017, including vomiting and hair loss, before discovering what she thought was happening at her workplace.

“Shocked. I don’t know why,” Yuan said when asked what she thought after watching the video she recorded.

For more than two years, she sought answers from countless doctors, but her condition continued to deteriorate.

The discovery happened after his mother noticed an unusual smell coming from his water bottle. When cleaning didn’t solve the problem, Yuan decided to install a small camera on his desk.

“I never imagined I could capture someone. It’s just an engineer’s routine. If you have a problem, you think about the root cause,” Yuan said.

RELATED: Video of Bay Area man convicted of poisoning co-worker released as he seeks to overturn decision

The camera captured a colleague, David Xu, pouring a substance into his water bottle.

Tests later identified the substance as cadmium, a toxic chemical.

One water sample contained cadmium levels 3.5 million times the federal level, according to the report reviewed by ABC7 Eyewitness News.

Yuan and his parents all tested positive for cadmium poisoning.

Yuan says it’s probably because they used water from the same bottle for cooking.

Xu was charged with attempted premeditated murder in 2019.

RELATED: Berkeley chemical engineer held without bail and accused of trying to poison co-worker

In a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to poisoning and was sentenced to two years of probation.

“I don’t think he deserves a second chance. A second chance to do a lot of harm to others, to make other people become victims,” ​​Yuan said.

On October 12, a judge granted Xu’s request to have his felony conviction expunged.

Yuan said she still doesn’t know why Xu targeted her.

She recalls instances where he discouraged her from working in the lab and suggested she pursue other jobs.

“Why am I talking to him? He’s nobody. He’s a coward,” she replied when asked what she would like to say to him. “Poisoning isn’t something like you suddenly get angry and lose control. It’s planned.”

Yuan also said the poisoning affected his family.

She said she felt guilty that the poisoned water had returned to her home.

“If I don’t ask you to come to the United States, they will be poisoned. If I don’t bring the water home, they won’t be poisoned,” Yuan said.

His father died last year of heart failure.

Yuan said she decided to speak publicly in part because of him.

“To step out of my comfort zone, to be interviewed about yourself, to tell the public what kind of effect this has had on my family and how broken the system is,” she said.

RELATED: Berkeley chemical engineer accused of trying to poison colleague to death

Nearly a decade later, Yuan said she continued to have health problems after ingesting the chemical for more than a year and was only able to work part-time.

She said she asked for $500,000 in restitution but received $7,000.

Although she says she still suffers from the effects of the poisoning, Yuan said she has no choice but to move forward as she continues to question the court’s decision to expunge her former colleague’s criminal record.

Alameda County Prosecutor Ursula Jones Dickson released a statement to ABC7 Eyewitness News on Tuesday writing:

“In 2019, David Xu was charged with attempted murder and premeditated poisoning. In 2023, the case resulted in a felony poisoning charge, 2 years of probation, and no additional jail time..
After completing his probation, the defendant asked the court to dismiss the case. Accordingly, we joined the victims in opposing the motion pursuant to Penal Code Section 1203.4.
The court granted the motion despite objections. We hope that survivors can continue to heal, both emotionally and physically, from this shocking event.“