Researcher accused of neurotoxin attack on Vietnamese colleague, caught fleeing to China

Aili Wang, a 32-year-old researcher, has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning a Vietnamese colleague, K.T., according to prosecutors. Wang was apprehended on October 6, following an initial questioning by campus police. She is accused of carrying several electronic devices, physical records, and written materials when apprehended.

Prosecutors argued that if Wang fled to China, extradition would be impossible due to the lack of a reciprocal agreement between the U.S. and Beijing. As a result, Judge Robert Sanford increased her bond to $200,000 in cash, and she remains jailed in Los Angeles as of October 13.

The victim, K.T., experienced tingling and numbness in his fingertips and weakness in his legs on August 10. The symptoms spread to his left arm, leading him to seek help at the university's student health clinic. Upon suspicion of poisoning, his wife tested the water from their shared coffee maker and found 63 milligrams of white powder, identified as acrylamide. The powder was also present in water samples from other sources within the building.

Acrylamide, a neurotoxin commonly used in laboratory settings, can cause damage to the nervous system in high doses. The victim, K.T., and his supervisor, along with campus police, installed hidden cameras in the office. The footage revealed Wang going through K.T.'s desk, inspecting his coffee tin, rinsing his mug with water from her own mug, and taking photographs and manipulating notebooks on his desk.

The university's email account was used to place an order for acrylamide on eBay in June and August. On October 5, the day Wang was interviewed, the email account attempted to delete its order history and then terminated itself.

Wang denied using acrylamide in years, but the affidavit states they had a contentious relationship, with no shared research interests for several years. K.T. had recently won a patent-pending research project on cancer and neurological diseases. Professor Mark Gomelsky, who oversees both students, noted that Wang had failed her dissertation defense and was envious of K.T.'s success.

The neurotoxin was identified by Tak Suyama, an assistant professor of chemistry, who stated that K.T. had been working on a promising cancer therapy. Wang was observed photographing every page of K.T.'s notebook that was left on his desk. The university stated that it was following its student conduct process and working with authorities, adding that the allegations were unproven and Wang was presumed innocent.