A former executive in China has been sentenced to death for the murder of the founder of a prominent gaming company in 2020, as reported by Chinese media.
According to CBS News, Xu Yao poisoned the food of company founder Lin Qi in December 2020 due to a professional dispute, as confirmed by the Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court.
The company, Yoozoo, possesses the film rights to “The Three-Body Problem,” a notable Chinese science fiction trilogy. In 2020, Yoozoo granted Netflix the rights to produce an adaptation of the trilogy. Lin was designated as the executive producer for the series, which has been developed by David Benioff and DB Weiss, creators of ‘Game of Thrones.’
The court stated that four other individuals fell seriously ill but survived after Xu poisoned beverages in the office between September and December 2020 due to disputes with two of them.
According to a report by Chinese finance publication Caixin, Lin was exposed to a mixture of up to five different poisons. Xu Yao reportedly established his own laboratory in Shanghai to test the poisons to ensure their effectiveness against Lin.
Although Lin’s condition was initially deemed stable, he succumbed to the poisoning nine days later, despite receiving 40 liters of blood transfusions. The death of the 39-year-old sent shockwaves through China’s technology and gaming communities.
Authorities cited professional jealousy as the primary motive behind the heinous murder.