Dr. Yue ‘Emily’ Yu indicted for allegedly poisoning husband

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An California dermatologist was slapped with multiple felonies by a grand jury for allegedly poisoning her husband with Drano that she allegedly snuck into his tea, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Dr. Yue “Emily” Yu was indicted on three felony counts of poisoning and one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury about a year after she faced accusations of spiking his drinks. The Irvine mother of two could face a maximum sentence of more than eight years if she’s convicted on all the charges.

Yu’s husband began to notice a strange taste in his tea that he drank daily, and eventually set up a secret camera system in the family’s kitchen as part of his own investigation. Three days in July 2022 Yu was captured on camera pouring liquid drain cleaner into husband Jack Chen’s tea that was left on the counter, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.

Chen, a radiologist, then scooped up samples of the tea and gave them over to Irvine police that were later given to the FBI, confirming the substance was the liquid cleaner.

The husband suffered from stomach ulcers as a result of the alleged poisoning, the district attorney’s office said.


California Doctor Yue Yu
California Doctor Yue Yu.
courtesy of Steven G. Hittelman of the Hittelman Family Law Group.

“Our homes should be where we feel the safest,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.

“Yet, a licensed medical professional capitalized 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.”

Yu was previously arrested in August 2022 on suspicion of poisoning and released from custody after she posted $30,000 bond.

Her husband also filed for divorce that month after 10 years of marriage and successfully requested a restraining order to keep the wife away from their two elementary-age children.


The alleged poisoning was caught on video.
The alleged poisoning was caught on video.
courtesy of Steven G. Hittelman of the Hittelman Family Law Group.

Attorney Steve Hittleman exclusively told The Post Wednesday that Chen has full custody of the two kids, but Yu has scheduled visitation rights. He said he and his client were “grateful and thankful” the grand jury chose to indict.

“Making sure that there’s a chance for justice to be served,” Hittleman said. “This is the next step in resolving this horrible turn of events. This is tragic on a number of levels.”

He added he’s unsure if prosecutors will request a criminal restraining order against Yu at an April 18 arraignment, but he plans on asking for an extension of one from the family matter proceeding.


Yu, 45, leaves court at the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange, CA on Thursday, August 18, 2022.
Yu, 45, leaves court at the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange, CA on Thursday, August 18, 2022.
MediaNews Group via Getty Images

Chen accused Yu – and his mother-in-law – in August of a long history of mistreatment toward him and their two children.

“As early as two-years-old Emily and Amy were verbally and then physically abusive to [our son and daughter] which intensified as they grew older,” he said. “They are both verbally and physically abusive to me.”

Her legal team for the criminal charges could not be reached for immediate comment, but a previously lawyer for Yu denied the accusations in August and claimed Chen made up the story in a bid to get custody of their children, ages 7 and 8.

Hittleman said Wednesday any suggestion that Chen was trying to take advantage of his wife are false.

“My client was a radiologist during the marriage. Emily Yu was a dermatologist with a private practice in Newport Beach, California,” he said. “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.”

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