Overview
- Yoozoo and multiple Chinese outlets confirmed that Xu Yao was executed on Thursday, May 21, 2026, closing the court case that led to a 2024 death sentence.
- Prosecutors said Xu poisoned Lin Qi in December 2020; Lin fell ill in mid-December and died days later on December 25, 2020, and Xu was detained soon after.
- Court findings and reporting say the motive was a workplace dispute after Xu was sidelined from projects linked to the Netflix deal for the Three-Body property.
- Authorities and media reported that investigators found highly toxic substances including alpha-amanitin disguised as probiotic pills and placed in drinks and capsules, and that several colleagues were sickened but recovered; vivid details about dark-web purchases, a home lab and animal testing are reported by some outlets but not independently verified in court records.
- The case has global resonance because Yoozoo held the screen rights to Remembrance of Earth’s Past and Lin was credited on Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, and the execution may sharpen scrutiny of corporate governance, workplace security and how China’s legal system handles high-profile criminal cases.