I have to admit #Roommates, this story gave me the chills. A former #LehighUniversity student is being accused of trying to poison his longtime roommate to death.
Northampton County District Attorney, John Morganelli, said #YukaiYang, a 22-year-old Chinese national, also vandalized the victim?s possessions with racist graffiti, according to @nbcphiladelphia. Yang has been charged with attempted murder and related charges. He was earlier charged with ethnic intimidation.
Investigators first suspected Yang after his roommate, who is Black, reported earlier this year that his belongings had been vandalized and had the N-word on it. As police continued to investigate, they noticed the victim appeared to be sick.
The victim told police that he had been ill for some time and contacted law enforcement officials in March after uncontrollably vomiting. The victim told authorities he remembered drinking from a bottle and his tongue started to burn.
Police had also been called to the victim?s room on multiple occasions during the investigation and found a racially-charged note on the victim?s desk.
Blood tests later revealed an increased level of thallium, which was once used as a household rodent or ant killer, but has since been banned in the United States, in the victim?s blood.
Yang told investigators he saw the victim?s milk and mouthwash change color and that he believed someone was tampering with items in the room. Yang, who is a chemistry student, admitted to buying thallium online with the purpose of poisoning himself if his grades went down.
Investigators said the victim was initially ?dumbfounded? by the attacks because they had been roommates for several years and always appeared to get along.
Thallium exposure can lead to nausea, painful limbs, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, kidney damage and nerve damage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
The victim, who has since graduated, is still suffering from ill effects of the thallium poisoning.
Yang was jailed as he awaited a court hearing on the new attempted murder charges. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
Yang was living in the U.S. on a student visa, which has since been revoked, officials said.
