The daughter of Dr. Yue “Emily” Yu, a California dermatologist, has expressed fear to her school counselor that her mother would kill her if she did not lie about the poisoning incident involving her father.
This revelation came to light during a private session with the counselor in November, where the girl, who appeared distressed and tearful, shared her concerns. The therapist documented the conversation in court documents, noting that the girl feared making her mother angry by not lying about the incident. The girl’s fear was articulated as, “Because what if she does what she did to my dad to me?”.
Dr. Yu is facing charges for allegedly poisoning her husband’s tea with a “Drano-like” liquid. This incident occurred amidst a divorce and custody battle between Yu and her husband, Dr. Jack Chen. Yu’s lawyer, David Dworakowski, has categorically denied any improper communications with the children regarding the criminal matter. The documents also highlight that there has been no evidence of improper communications between Yu and the children during her parenting time, and the children reportedly enjoy their time with her 1.
Dr. Chen alleged that his wife tried to kill him by poisoning his hot lemonade with drain cleaner, which led to his diagnosis of stomach ulcers, gastritis, and esophagus inflammation. The allegations were substantiated by a nanny cam that captured Yu pouring drain cleaner into Chen’s drink three times. Yu was arrested and faces three felony counts of poisoning and one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury.
In a separate case, Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three, is on trial for allegedly poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, and then writing a children’s book about grieving. Richins’ mother, Lisa Darden, has been implicated in Eric’s death based on a recently unsealed search warrant. The warrant suggests Darden may have been involved in planning and orchestrating Eric’s death, with further investigation revealing Darden’s connection to a suspicious death in 2006.
These cases highlight the complexities of domestic violence and the impact it can have on children, leading to fear and distress.
