A dermatologist in California who was caught pouring Drano into her husband’s tea says she was trying to deal with an ant infestation and not trying to kill him.
Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, 45, was recorded pouring drain cleaner into her husband Jack Chen’s hot lemon tea over three days in July 2022. Chen, 53, noticed something was wrong with the tea so used a hidden camera to film her tampering with his drink.
Yu’s divorce attorney has now told The New York Post his client was in fact using ‘unconventional methods’ to deal with an ant problem in the couple’s home.
The attorney’s comments came as the two appeared in court on Tuesday as part of a divorce proceedings in the Orange County Superior Court.
On April 5 a grand jury indicted her on three felony counts of domestic battery with corporal injury, according to Orange County prosecutors. She faces more than eight years in prison if found guilty.
Dermatologist Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, 45, says she poured Drano into tea her husband later drank as a measure to deal with an ant infestation
Footage allegedly shows Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, 45, putting Drano – a brand of drain cleaner – into her husband Jack Chen’s hot lemonade on multiple occasions
Yue ‘Emily’ Yu, far left, was recorded on video pouring the drain cleaner into her husband’s, far right, hot lemon tea over her three days in July 2022. The two are pictured on Tuesday in Orange County Superior Court
Attorney David Dworakowski said Yu put Drano and sugar in the drink thinking that would attract the ants and kill them.
‘While prosecutors are making it out like this video of Emily is a “smoking gun”, the reality is she was trying to attract the ants into the glass so they would drown,’ he told The Post.
‘Dr. Yu has been a physician for many years, has never been in trouble before and is a loving mom. We believe there is a sinister motive on the part of her ex-husband to take advantage of her in their divorce case,’ he added.
To support the claim Chen was acting nefariously, Dworakowski pointed to the fact that he surrendered the video footage to his divorce attorney before going to the police, a move the attorney described as being ‘odd’.
Chen, a radiologist, did however eventually hand over footage of Yu pouring the Drano into his lemonade at their $2.7million mansion to police in Irvine.
He later filed for divorce and a judge granting him a restraining order against Yu, which also covered their two children – aged seven and eight.
Dr. Jack Chen, a radiologist, is pictured appearing in Orange County Superior Court on April 11, 2023
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement earlier this month that Yu intentionally shattered her husband’s sense of security by intentionally torturing him with poison against his knowledge.
‘Our homes should be where we feel the safest,’ he said, according to the Post.
‘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.’
An attorney for Chen, Steve Hittleman, told the Post that the father had custody of the couple’s children, and he was pleased to hear about the indictment.
‘Making sure that there’s a chance for justice to be served,’ he said. ‘This is the next step in resolving this horrible turn of events. This is tragic on a number of levels.’
After his wife’s arrest in August, Chen claimed she had abused him and their children for years, with the dermatologist once shouting at the youngsters to ‘go die,’ according to court documents.
‘When Emily gets frustrated and yells at the children, she’ll commonly use a Chinese phrase that translates to “go die”,’ Chen wrote in a court statement as he sought a restraining order against his wife.
‘She also says to the children, “your head has a problem,” “your head is sick,” “go f**k yourself,” “f***ing idiot,” “stupid a**hole,” and “get the f**k out of my way,’ Chen wrote.
Yu was released on $30,000 bond after her arrest last August, which she posted a few days later.
Dr. Jack Chen, 53 leaves the Central Justice Center Court in Orange County after a divorce hearing
Only static images from the nanny-camera footage showing Yu pouring have been released
The alleged poison attacks are believed to have happened at their $2.7 million mansion in Irvine, California
No motive for the crime has emerged. Yu, who works at the Providence Healthcare system in Mission Viejo, has had her work headshot removed from her employer’s website. A spokesman said they were cooperating with police.
Chen said he and Yu met in 2011 and the couple married a year later on July 4, 2012.
Chen claimed his wife’s behavior changed after their son and daughter were born in 2013 and 2014. He also claimed that Yu’s mother, Yuqin ‘Amy’ Gu, also verbally and physically abused their children.
Chen said he and Yu met in 2011 and the couple married a year later on July 4, 2012
‘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,’ Chen said. ‘They are both verbally and physically abusive to me.’ He said the women would call the children “f***ing stupid.”‘
Chen claimed Yu spanked her daughter when she was three-years-old because she wet her bed. Yu also allegedly hit her son on his head and arms when he was two.
‘When the kids fall asleep without permission, even if after 11:00 p.m. she would wake them up, demand that [they] go to her room, shut the door and make them cry,’ he said.
‘At the end sometimes she would tell the kids to get out and then slam the door behind them, making them cry outside her door.’
When the children would play piano after school, Yu would allegedly tell them they were ‘f***ing stupid’ until they cried.
Following the alleged poisoning, Bingham said Chen began to develop symptoms that worsened over the last month.
He said Chen did seek medical treatment once he became ill but was unable to provide details to whether a blood test revealed the poison in his bloodstream.
‘Due to the integrity of the case it appears the poisoning happened over a period of time,’ Bingham said.
