An Orange County doctor, Yue “Emily” Yu, who is already facing charges of poisoning her husband with Drano, now finds herself embroiled in allegations of coaching her children to lie about their father. The unfolding events have become part of both her upcoming divorce proceedings and the ongoing criminal case against her.
Yu, a doctor in Irvine, was charged in 2022 with poisoning her husband, Jack Chen, who subsequently filed for divorce and is seeking custody of their two children. The divorce proceedings are scheduled for the next court date on April 30, while the criminal case is set to return to court in late May.
The situation took a turn when Yu lost in-person visitation rights with her children last year. The decision came after her daughter confided in a school therapist, expressing fear that her mother might poison her as well. The therapist’s recently published statement revealed that Yu had allegedly coached her children to lie about their father.
According to the therapist’s statement, the daughter appeared distressed and tearful while explaining her conflicted feelings about lying. When asked why she was afraid to make her mother angry, the daughter responded, “Because what if she does what she did to my dad to me?” The therapist further asked if the daughter was afraid her mother would kill her, to which she replied, “Yes,” according to the affidavit.
The court documents, reported by the Daily Mail on Monday, shed light on the divorce and domestic violence proceedings between Yu and Chen, both doctors in Irvine. Chen grew suspicious when he experienced stomach ulcers and a swollen esophagus, along with a peculiar “chemical taste” in his morning hot lemonade.
Yu was subsequently arrested and charged with three counts of poisoning and one count of corporal injury on a spouse. She was released on $30,000 bail. Prior to these events, Chen had already accused Yu of physically abusing their children in court documents. However, the conversation with the therapist marked the first time either child directly accused their mother of abuse.
The therapist’s statement revealed that the 10-year-old daughter claimed her mother would beat her with the leg of a chair, and her maternal grandmother would do the same, chasing them around the house. These allegations led to the suspension of Yu’s in-person visitation rights with her children.
Furthermore, Yu allegedly coached the children to lie about the presence of Drano in their home. She instructed them to claim it was due to an ant infestation, as Chen had refused to get ant traps. The coaching occurred during scheduled visits with monitors, but Yu took advantage of moments when the monitors were not paying attention, according to the therapist’s statement.
Yu’s attorneys have vehemently denied the allegations, arguing that they are fabricated and that the children enjoy their time with their mother. In court papers, Yu’s attorney, Danielle Struwe, stated, “That the children enjoy their parenting time with their Mother, and even want additional time, is entirely at odds with Father’s current allegations of impropriety.”
