What did Yue Yu do? California dermatologist accused of poisoning husband and abusing their kids

Yue Yu, a 45-year-old dermatologist from Irvine, was indicted by a jury on one count of domestic battery with injury and three counts of poisoning. The same has been confirmed by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Yue Yu’s husband reportedly caught her mixing a “Drano-like” cleaner into his morning tea on the nanny cam.

In 2022, Yu’s husband, Jack Chen, 53, accused her and her mother of being abusive. He further asked for custody of the children. Yue Yu’s attorney addressed the recent accusations and claimed that the cleaning item was to kill ants in the kitchen and that Chen took advantage of the entire scenario.

According to Yue Yu’s husband, in April 2022, he was suspicious of the tea he drank regularly. That was when he installed the cameras in the kitchen. He further claimed that Yu and her mother were emotionally and verbally abusive towards him.

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California dermatologist Yue Yu’s husband accused her of being abusive and now wants to gain custody of the kids

The California dermatologist was allegedly found poisoning her husband’s morning tea and was subsequently arrested on Thursday, April 6, 2023. A grand jury further indicted 45-year-old Yue Yu on several counts of poisoning and domestic battery with injury. Yue Yu’s husband claimed the videos are from July 11, 18, and 25. His lawyer, Steven Hittleman, said:

“She takes up the bottle, she pours it in, puts the cap back on, and puts it back under the sink as though nothing else was happening in her day.”

According to several court documents, authorities and Attorney Steven were referring to screenshots of the videos of those particular dates. Authorities further stated that Chen had been falling ill quite frequently over the last month. He was diagnosed with inflammation of the esophagus, gastritis, and ulcers. Chen also suspected his wife of being somehow connected to frequent illnesses.

Hittleman further added:

“He started to have unusual symptoms back in March and April. He went in to get checked by a doctor and found that he had had physical effects. He started to then connect the dots.”

Chen acted upon his suspicions of Yu and arranged for cameras in the kitchen. A restraining order has also been filed against Yue Yu by her husband. In the restraining order request, Chen wrote:

“If our children let Emily (Yue Yu) know that they enjoyed spending time with me, or showed affection towards me, then Emily would put them in their room and yell at them until they assured her, they would not show affection toward me.”

Along with the restraining order, Chen has also filed for divorce from Yue Yu, who is currently charged on so many counts by a grand jury. According to Hittleman:

“She wanted him to suffer. This is just another form of domestic violence she used against him.”

However, Yu’s attorney, Scott Simmons, claimed that the couple would use items like Drano to deal with ant problems. He further mentioned that they had been having ant problems for some time, and thus Yue was pouring the cleaning agent into lemonade to kill the ants, but Chen misinterpreted the situation.

Simmons also added that Drano is not the usual item to be used to poison someone, as it has a strong taste and smell. He continued:

“Jack claimed to have been injured by drinking the Drano. In fact, the medical evidence is inconsistent with Jack having consumed Drano. His so-called injuries are attributable to a benign condition of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Jack never went to the emergency room for treatment, as one who consumed Drano would do. And instead of calling 911, he called his divorce lawyer.”

Aside from that, Chen also accused Yu of abusing the children, and that her parenting techniques involved yelling and verbal abuse, along with pushing and pulling. According to the court documents, Yue Yu would often use a Chinese phrase that translates to “Go die!” when she got frustrated with the kids. She allegedly used to tell her kids,

“Your head has a problem. Your head is sick. Go f*** yourself, f*** idiot, stupid a**… Get the f*** out of my way.”

Her punishments allegedly included sleep deprivation, and she would often wake the kids up and lock them from the outside. The kids were reportedly forced to “put on a happy face” around their grandmother and mother. However, Yue Yu’s divorce lawyer, David Dworakowski, stated that she is innocent and has nothing to do with the outrageous charges filed against her.

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Yu was arrested back in August 2022 and got out after posting a bond of $30,000. If convicted on all counts, she could face up to eight years and eight months in jail. Her arraignment is scheduled for April 18, 2023.