Student accused of poisoning colleague’s tea arrested at airport while allegedly trying to flee country
The University of Wyoming is a land grant university in Laramie Wyoming. (Photo by: Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - A Chinese graduate student at the University of Wyoming has been arrested on allegations that she poisoned a colleague’s tea with acrylamide before trying to flee the country.
Dig deeper:
Aili Wang, 32, was arrested Oct. 6 at Los Angeles International Airport while allegedly attempting to return to China. Prosecutors said she had laptops, storage devices and documents with her.
Wang is accused of buying acrylamide on eBay and placing it in water from a coffee maker used by the alleged victim, identified in court documents as "K.T." He later experienced fatigue, numbness, weakness and difficulty concentrating.
The backstory:
Campus police began investigating after the victim’s wife and others detected 63 milligrams of acrylamide in the coffee maker water. Surveillance video allegedly showed Wang going through the victim’s desk, photographing notebooks and rinsing his mug with liquid from her own mug.
The two students did not get along, according to a police affidavit. The victim was working on patent-pending research involving technology to treat cancer and other diseases. Investigators said Wang had worked on similar research in China.
"She was reportedly working on similar research in China before coming to the U.S.," the affidavit said.
Wang allegedly told police Oct. 5 that she "had not used acrylamide in years." Prosecutors also said she asked eBay to delete her account after purchasing the chemical twice last summer.
Local perspective:
Mark Gomelsky, the professor overseeing both students, said the allegations shocked him.
"It’s been disheartening, to say the least, to see that one of your student's life is in jeopardy and another student may be responsible for that," Gomelsky told The Associated Press.
Wang faces a felony aggravated assault and battery charge in Wyoming, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A judge raised her bond to $1.5 million cash-only, and she remained jailed in Los Angeles pending extradition.
What's next:
The victim continues to experience symptoms, Gomelsky said.
"Acrylamide is a neurotoxin that cannot be neutralized so it stays in neurons and basically kills them. So it’s unclear if he’ll fully recover or not," he said.
The Source: The information came from an Associated Press report, University of Wyoming campus police affidavits and court documents filed in Albany County, Wyoming. This story was reported from Los Angeles.