California doctor accused of poisoning husband with drain cleaner is indicted again

An Irvine woman already accused of intentionally putting Drano in her husband’s drink in 2022 is now also facing attempted poisoning charges in a new grand jury indictment that was unsealed on Thursday, Jan. 8.

Dr. Yue “Emily” Yu, who worked as a dermatologist in Mission Viejo, is alleged to have poisoned her husband’s tea while the couple was in the midst of a contentious divorce and child custody battle. Yu has previously denied the allegations.

The changes to the list of charges appeared largely technical and did not seem to include any significant additional allegations of note. The prosecutor did not explain the reason for the new charges during a hearing on Thursday.

The new indictment — the second handed down by an Orange County grand jury in connection with the case — formally adds three attempted poisoning charges while keeping the previous poisoning charges and a domestic battery with corporal injury charge. The suspected poisonings and attempted poisonings are alleged to have happened on the same days — July 11, July 18 and July 25 in 2022.

Yu’s husband said he noticed a strange taste in his tea beginning in April 2022 and, believing his wife was putting something in his drinks, installed a pair of video cameras. The resulting footage and allegations were outlined in civil court documents and then in criminal charges.

Yu’s attorneys allege that her husband set her up to gain the upper hand in family court by telling Yu to put the Dano into the cup in order to kill ants.

Yu’s attorneys in recent months have repeatedly said they are ready for a jury trial, while the prosecution has asked for several delays.

During the brief hearing in a Santa Ana courtroom on Thursday morning, Deputy District Attorney Tina Hanley told Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick H. Donahue that one of their witnesses is unavailable. As a result, the prosecutor indicated they are not ready for trial.

The prosecution and defense disagreed on exactly how to formally dismiss the earlier indictment. Attorneys for Yu said prosecutors could not use “endless superseding indictments” in order to “frustrate the defense desire for a speedy trial.”

Judge Donahue set a hearing for Tuesday to discuss how to formally dismiss the earlier indictment, to allow Yu to formally enter a plea for the new indictment and to potentially set a jury trial date.