Lehigh alum describes pain of alleged poisoining by ex-roommate
A Northampton County judge will determine whether a former Lehigh University student’s alleged use of thallium to poison a roommate resulted in “serious bodily injury” — a distinction that could add decades to the high end of his potential prison sentence should he plead guilty.
Yukai Yang, 24, of China, and his legal counsel are mulling the possibility of pleading guilty to attempted homicide for the alleged poisoning, First Deputy District Attorney Richard Pepper said. On Monday, the prosecution submitted expert reports and had Yang’s former roommate, Juwan Royal, testify in an effort to convince Judge Stephen Baratta that the poisoning has created lasting damage.
If Baratta determines Yang’s alleged actions caused serious bodily injury, he faces a sentence that could range between six and 20 years, authorities say. Without the designation, Yang would face a maximum sentence closer to 7 years.
Pepper said no agreements have been made on the plea deal, and Yang could decide to take the case to trial, depending on the judge’s ruling. Amessage left with Yang’s defense attorney was not returned Monday afternoon.
Yang, a former Lehigh chemistry student, was charged in December 2018 after a monthslong investigation Royal was stricken by a mysterious illness that caused him to faint, vomit uncontrollably and eventually lose feeling in his toes.
Authorities said Royal believed he and Yang had a good relationship, but things suddenly deteriorated in the spring of 2018. While Royal was experiencing symptoms, he also was being intimidated by racist graffiti allegedly written by Yang and directed toward Royal, who is Black, authorities said. In April 2018, Yang was charged with ethnic intimidation.
In court Monday, Royal described how he began experiencing skin ailments in March 2018 that included rashes and boils severe enough that he sought medical help, Assistant District Attorney Katharine Kurnas said.
A few days later, Royal fainted and went to the emergency room at St. Luke’s Hospital in Fountain Hill for help, but the cause remained unclear. Later that month, Royal found it hard to keep any food down and was vomiting uncontrollably, prompting another ERvisit, but there were still no clear answers, Kurnas said.
When he started to experience creeping pain in his toes, feet and legs, Royal contacted his family and told them “he thought his body was failing him,” Kurnas said. Royal’s parents took him to New York to visit medical specialists.
She said that the Lehigh alum described the pain as “hundreds of tiny knives going into his feet and toes.”
Royal testified that he lost about 20 pounds in the next month or so as he struggled to eat, suffered headaches and heart palpitations and was unable to stand or walk for any extended period of time. He slept in the same room as his parents, and his mother tried in vain to lessen his leg pain with regular massages.
Finally, in early May, doctors had an answer: The symptoms were the result of heavy metal poisoning, specifically from the chemical thallium, according to Kurnas. The colorless, odorless toxic chemical had historically been used for rat poison, but is now banned in the U.S. over concerns of accidental exposure.
Authorities say Yang was slowly slipping the chemical into his roommate’s food and drink over the course of weeks or months.
Kurnas said Royal testified that he’s been able to begin rehabilitation, and medical marijuana can lessen pain flareups. But the numbness in his toes persists, and he has trouble standing or walking for long periods of time.
She said Royal’s long-term health outlook remains unclear since there’s limited research on thallium’s effects on humans.
The defense will have a 10-day window to submit briefs in the case before Judge Baratta issues a ruling.