A wife was allegedly caught poisoning her husband’s tea with drain cleaner after he installed hidden cameras in the kitchen to catch her.
Dermatologist Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, 45, from South Carolina, US, has been charged with three felony counts of poisoning and one count of domestic battery injury after she was accused of putting the toxic liquid into his drink, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
She faces a maximum sentence of eight years and eight months if convicted on all charges after her husband, a radiologist, believed the doctor was lacing his drinks with bleach after he started to fall ill and noticed a a strange a taste in his tea.
The doctor was arrested on August 18 after her husband started to grow suspicious of his wife in April 2022. He also reported the substance caused him to suffer stomach ulcers, gastritis and esophagitis, according to his lawyer.
He filed a restraining order against his 45-year-old wife, Yu, in the same month, police said.
According to prosecutors, the man allegedly caught Ms Yu pouring a substance into his drink on at least three occasions.
The husband collected samples of the tea and sent it off to authorities who confirmed it was consistent with drain cleaner.
He also reported the substance caused him to suffer stomach ulcers, gastritis and esophagitis, according to his lawyer.
Orange County District lawyer Todd Spitzer said: “Our homes should be where we feel the safest. Yet, a licensed medical professional capitalised on her husband’s daily rituals to torment her husband by systematically plying his tea with a Drano-like substance intending to cause him pain and suffering.”
He also believes there are hours of hidden camera footage to prove their case.
Ms Yu has to report to the Medical Board of California who will decide whether she can continue to practice, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Her lawyer Scott Simmons said she will plead not guilty to the charges.
He said: “Drano is not a covert poisoning agent. It has a strong smell and taste and is highly caustic” and that she is “looking forward to her day in court when the truth will finally come out.”
Mr Simmons refuted claims his wife was trying to take advantage of her husband as the doctor had her own practice and earned more than him.
He added: “My client was a radiologist during the marriage. Emily Yu was a dermatologist with a private practice in Newport Beach, California.
“She was the majority wage earner during the marriage. She became the breadwinner and far out-earned compared to my client’s income.
“So the thought that this is in some way or somehow designed to get an advantage of her is ridiculous. My client had no interest in killing the golden goose. A majority of the income coming into the home was coming from Dr. Yu.”