Berkeley engineer charged with poisoning co-worker's food for years

BERKELEY, Calif. (KTLA/AP) -- Authorities have charged an engineer in Berkeley, California, with trying to kill a colleague by putting a toxic metal into her food and water since 2017.

KTVU-TV reports Tuesday that police arrested 34-year-old David Xu last week. Berkeleyside was first to report the story.

Court records say that a fellow engineer at Berkeley Engineering and Research noticed a strange taste and smell from food and water left unattended in her office. She became sick after consuming the food or water.

Police said in court records that samples taken from her water bottle tested positive for a “toxic amount of cadmium.” They said exposure can lead to “organ system toxicity, cancer and/or death.”

Berkeleyside reports the Alameda County district attorney's office charged Xu on Thursday with premeditated attempted murder spanning from Oct. 9, 2017, through March 4, resulting in great bodily injury, according to court records.