▲Click above to subscribe 点击上方蓝字关注我们
In a startling turn of events, a Chinese student studying in the United States, Xuming Li, found himself at the center of a criminal investigation and subsequent deportation. In June this year, Li was arrested on suspicion of poisoning his neighbor, Umar Abdullah, and his family.According to international media reports, 36-year-old Li, a doctoral student in the Chemistry Department at the University of South Florida, had been in conflict with his neighbors over noise complaints.Abdullah claimed that Li’s complaints were not about typical noises like a baby crying, but more about everyday sounds like vacuum cleaners, toilet lids closing, and drawers opening and closing. To mitigate the noise, Abdullah and his wife took measures like wearing slippers and laying carpets.The situation escalated in May when Abdullah noticed a strange odor in his apartment every week, coinciding with symptoms of eye irritation, breathing difficulties, and his daughter’s coughing and vomiting.Initially suspecting equipment malfunction, Abdullah grew suspicious of Li’s involvement in the odd smells. Hidden cameras installed by Abdullah captured Li allegedly injecting a substance through the door gap of Abdullah’s apartment on two occasions.The Arrest and InvestigationLi was arrested on June 27th on charges of possession of controlled substances, assault, and serious stalking, to which he pleaded not guilty.The police alleged that Li had created toxic substances in his university’s chemistry lab and used them to poison his neighbors. Preliminary tests at the scene indicated that the substances injected into Abdullah’s apartment were a mixture of methadone and hydrocodone, opioids.During the investigation, an officer who came into contact with the substance suffered an allergic reaction and required medical treatment.Despite refusing to admit guilt on the charges of possessing controlled substances, Li was released on bail two days after his arrest.Li did not appear at a court hearing on December 5th. His lawyer, Adam Bantner, confirmed that Li’s student visa had been revoked, and he had been deported. A judge handling the case issued an arrest warrant for Li, stating that he would be arrested if he re-entered the United States.Add Wechat FLA5555 to ask to join the international students' wechat group.
*The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author.* Follow Us
GBA Expats: Free services offered by BAFLA and Bay Area International Exchange Service Center
外语圈: BAFLA's Chinese channel 中文频道
Contributions will be appreciated！
欢迎投稿！
add to communicate or join groups