DA to dismiss case against doctor who allegedly poisoned husband with Drano
By Michele Gile
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ORANGE COUNTY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — The Orange County District Attorney’s Office plans to file a motion to dismiss its case against Emily Yu, a doctor accused of poisoning her husband with Drano.
Prosecutors said they filed the motion because a key witness couldn’t appear on the first day of Yu’s trial, but plan to refile criminal charges.
According to a grand jury indictment from 2023, Yu was charged with poisoning and domestic battery after investigators obtained hidden camera footage of her pouring Drano into a cup of lemon tea.
Her husband, Dr. Jack Chen, reported that he’d been sick for months and was diagnosed with stomach ulcers and severe internal injuries.
In early April 2022, Chen installed cameras in the family’s Irvine kitchen and captured Yu pouring the drain cleaner into her husband’s tea.
FBI tests later confirmed that drain cleaner was present in the drinking glass.
Defense attorneys for Yu claim that she was not trying to poison her husband. They said she was pouring Drano into the tea to kill ants in the kitchen, and that her husband had suggested the method. The couple was in the middle of a divorce at the time.
“It’s our opinion that the medical evidence is inconsistent with his claim that he consumed the Drano,” Yu’s defense attorney Scott Simmons said in 2023. “As you know, Drano is a caustic substance. You would have severe injuries from consuming the Drano. The injuries that he claims are from the Drano, we think the evidence will show that is consistent with what’s known as GERD or acid reflux.”
In 2023, Chen’s lawyer said there are hours of hidden camera video available to prove their case, and that he is now doing better after taking time to recover from the stomach ulcers.
The case will be back in court on Oct. 24.
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