CASPER, WY — University of Wyoming graduate student Aili Wang, a Chinese national on a temporary visa, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport last week after Albany County, New York authorities issued a felony warrant alleging she poisoned a fellow researcher.
Arrest and evidence
According to court records, Wang was stopped by Los Angeles Police Department officers and found carrying several laptops, external hard drives and written records. Detectives say the alleged victim, identified only as K.T., experienced tingling and numbness in his fingertips beginning August 10, which later spread to his entire left arm.
Detective Kieran A. Quinonez of the University of Wyoming Police Department reported that an evaporation test of 100 ml of water boiled from K.T.’s coffee maker revealed 63 mg of white powder that tested positive for acrylamide, a neurotoxin linked to severe health effects with high, prolonged exposure.
Alleged motive and timeline
Prosecutors allege Wang poisoned K.T.’s coffee with acrylamide between August 10 and October 5, a period during which she accessed the Agriculture Buildings’ office where K.T. worked. Surveillance footage captured Wang using her access card on September 27 and October 1, coinciding with the times the victim’s symptoms appeared.
University officials noted that Wang’s research focus differed from K.T.’s, making a motive for stealing his notes unclear. Police also traced Wang’s university email to two eBay purchases of acrylamide on July 6 and September 8, which were reportedly requested to be deleted on October 5.
Legal proceedings
An Albany County judge set a cash‑only bond of $1.5 million for Wang. Because there is no extradition treaty with China, it remains uncertain when she will be transferred to Wyoming to face state charges, which carry a potential sentence of up to ten years in prison.
Wang is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.
