- Former Yoozoo Games executive Xu Yao has been sentenced to death for the murder of his boss.
- Lin Chi died in 2020 from ingesting a poisonous substance, the New York Times reported.
- According to Caixin, Xu was inspired by “Breaking Bad” and poisoned animals for practice.
An executive involved in Netflix's “3 Body Problem” practiced killing dogs and cats before poisoning his boss, Chinese media outlet Caixin reported.
The New York Times reported that former Yoozoo Games executive Xu Yao was sentenced to death on March 22 for poisoning the company's founder Lin Qi in 2020.
Yoozoo Games owns the rights to the Chinese-language sci-fi series 3 Body Problems, which made its Netflix debut in March. The show is based on Liu Cixin's award-winning book trilogy, “Reminiscences of Earth's Past.”
Xu, who joined Yoozoo Games in 2017, killed Lin over a “dispute over management,” according to a statement from the Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court cited by the Associated Press.
The dispute arose after Mr. Xu was demoted and received a pay cut for poor performance, according to a Caixin newspaper report cited by the Times.
Mr. Xu reportedly planned to kill Mr. Lin in retaliation. According to Caixin, he built a laboratory near Shanghai and experimented with hundreds of poisonous substances obtained from the dark web, often on pet animals such as cats and dogs.
Caixin newspaper reported that Xu was inspired by the series “Breaking Bad,” in which a high school teacher who is diagnosed with lung cancer begins manufacturing and selling methamphetamine.
According to the Associated Press, four other employees became ill after Mr. Xu mixed poisoned drinks in his office between September and December 2020 due to a grievance with two employees, but none of them died. said the court.
Variety reported in 2021 that Chinese media named one of the poisoned employees as Zhao Jilong, vice president of the company's film division.
Chao may have been targeted out of jealousy over his involvement in the company's deal with Netflix. Officially, both Lin and Chao were named as executive producers of “Three Body Problem,” but Xu was not credited, Variety reported.
After Xu's sentencing, Zhao wrote on his WeChat account that “justice has been served,” according to Chinese state media cited by the Times.
Representatives for Yoozoo Games and Netflix did not respond to requests for comment.
Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, is a member of Netflix's board of directors.
