Poisoning killer and former CEO of Trisolaran Corporation, Xu Yao, has been executed

Economic Observer reporter Li Weiao has many interns

On May 21, 2026, Xu Yao, the highly publicized poisoning killer and former CEO of Three Body Universe (Shanghai) Cultural Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Three Body Company"), was executed.

On May 22-26, 2026, multiple sources confirmed the above news to reporters from the Economic Observer. On May 21st, one of the victims in the poisoning case of Xu Yao left a message on social media lamenting, "Justice, although late, has arrived

The Xu Yao case occurred in 2020.

Xu Yao, male, born in March 1981 in Guiyang, Guizhou, studied Civil and Commercial Law for his undergraduate degree at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, and later obtained master's degrees from Universit é de Toulouse in France and the University of Michigan in the United States. After graduation, he worked successively at Dewey&LeBoeuf law firm and Fosun Group in the United States. In 2017, Xu Yao jumped to Youzu Group under the Wenzhou tycoon Lynch, serving as the Chief Risk Control Officer of Shanghai Youzu Information Technology Co., Ltd. In August 2018, he was appointed as the CEO of another company controlled by Lynch, Three Body Corporation.

Lynch, born in November 1981, is from Taishun, Wenzhou, Zhejiang. In 2014, he listed on the A-share market through a backdoor listing, with his controlling company being Youzu Network Co., Ltd. (002174. SZ, hereinafter referred to as "Youzu Network"). Youzu Network was the top gaming stock on the A-share main board, and Lynch was also the youngest chairman of the A-share market at that time.

Lynch and Xu Yao's daily offices are both located in the Youzu Building on Yishan Road in Shanghai.

The Youzu Building located on Yishan Road in Shanghai was the former office of Lynch and Xu Yao, and also the location where Xu Yao was found by the judiciary to have poisoned Lynch and caused his death. Image: Li Weiao

Several senior employees of Youzu Group told Economic Observer reporters that Lynch and Xu Yao had a good relationship at the beginning, but later their differences grew and their relationship became increasingly tense. Lynch took a series of measures against Xu Yao, such as reducing his salary and weakening his management authority. By 2020, Lynch had identified a candidate to replace Xu Yao.

On December 16, 2020, Lynch suffered a sudden illness and was sent to a local hospital in Shanghai for emergency treatment.

The next evening, Lynch's brother-in-law reported to the police that Lynch may have been poisoned. About 20 hours after reporting to the police, at around 18:40 on December 18, 2020, the police arrested Xu Yao.

On December 25, 2020, the 9th day after Lynch was hospitalized due to illness, he was declared dead after ineffective treatment. The Shanghai Public Security Bureau's Physical Evidence Appraisal Center has issued an appraisal certificate to prove that Lynch's cause of death was multiple organ failure caused by poisoning with "tetrodotoxin" and "alpha amatoxin" components.

Several senior employees of Youzu Group told Economic Observer reporters that after Lynch's death, many employees of Youzu Group were also organized to undergo physical examinations.

Zhao Jilong, the then Vice President of Trisolaran Corporation, his wife Ms. Zhang, Zhao Yuyao, the successor of Xu Yao selected by Lynch, and Ms. Song, all tested high levels of mercury in their blood. The inspection report issued by the Shanghai Public Security Bureau's Physical Evidence Appraisal Center also proves that "methylmercury chloride" was detected in the blood samples of Zhao Yuyao and Zhao Jilong, and "methylmercury chloride" was also detected in Ms. Song's blood and urine samples.

On December 25, 2020, the same day Lynch was declared dead, Xu Yao was approved for arrest.

After this case, it entered the stage of procuratorate and court.

In January 2022, the First Branch of the Shanghai Municipal People's Procuratorate accused Xu Yao of intentionally killing and releasing dangerous substances by injecting different drugs into drugs, beverages, and other items, causing the death of Lin Chi, Zhao Yuyao, Zhao Jilong, and others. Xu Yao was prosecuted by the Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court.

In October 2023, the Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court held a public trial for the first instance of this case.

Xu Yao denied the accusations against him, stating that he did not poison Lynch and others. Regarding his confirmed purchase of toxins such as "pufferfish toxin", "alpha goose paste toxin peptide", and "methylmercury chloride", Xu Yao argued that it was for suicide and stated that he had previously sought medical attention for mental illness, among other reasons.

In March 2024, the Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court ruled that Xu Yao was guilty of intentional homicide, sentenced to death, and deprived of political rights for life; Convict of the crime of releasing dangerous substances and sentenced to six years in prison; Decided to carry out the death penalty and deprive political rights for life.

Xu Yao disagrees and files an appeal.

In January 2025, the Shanghai High People's Court held a public hearing for the second instance of this case and made a ruling in June of that year.

The Shanghai High People's Court believes that "Xu Yao intentionally killed the victim Lynch by poisoning, which constitutes the crime of intentional homicide; Xu Yao also released toxic substances to endanger public safety, causing four people to be poisoned, and his behavior constitutes the crime of releasing dangerous substances, which should be punished according to law. Xu Yao carefully planned and premeditated the crime, and his criminal intention was resolute. The motive for the crime was despicable, the circumstances of the crime were particularly heinous, the criminal methods were cruel, the consequences of the crime were particularly serious, the social impact was bad, the personal danger was extremely high, and the social harm was extremely high. After arriving at the case, he refused to plead guilty, did not confess or repent, and should be severely punished.The original verdict found that Xu Yao's criminal facts of intentional homicide and the release of dangerous substances were clear, the evidence was reliable and sufficient, the application of the law was correct, the sentencing was appropriate, and the trial procedure was legal. The reasons for Xu Yao's appeal and the relevant defense opinions of the defense counsel are not valid.

Therefore, the Shanghai High People's Court rejected Xu Yao's appeal and upheld the original verdict. Subsequently, this ruling was submitted to the Supreme People's Court for approval.

The power of death penalty review refers to the authority to review the judgment and ruling of the death penalty. After 1949, the Supreme People's Court has repeatedly delegated the review power of some death sentences to the higher people's courts of various provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government); After 2007, all the power of death penalty review was transferred back to the Supreme People's Court.

During the first, second, and death penalty review stages of the Xu Yao case, several lawyers and "experts with specialized knowledge" (i.e. expert assistants) hired by him, a former forensic expert, all mentioned the lack of mass spectrometry for toxicology testing in Lynch's cause of death identification. The mass spectrometry image for toxin testing can be simply understood as a "CT scan" for toxin identification.

Three individuals who have served as defense lawyers for Xu Yao told Economic Observer reporters that in their observations, it has become a "practice" for the prosecution not to provide mass spectrometry in similar poisoning cases since the final verdict of the Fujian Nianbin poisoning case in 2014.

But in such a significant and attention grabbing case, only showing the report without showing the mass spectrum would be somewhat regrettable, "said one of the defense lawyers.

As the prosecutor's office in the Xu Yao case and the first and second instance courts responsible for the trial, both believe that the mass spectrometry image itself is not an appraisal opinion and "does not require evidence to be presented and cross examined in court". Lynch is undoubtedly the cause of death for multiple organ failure caused by poisoning with ingredients such as tetrodotoxin and alpha amatoxin.

According to insiders, the Supreme People's Court recently approved the death penalty for Xu Yao. On May 21st, Xu Yao was executed.

Thus, the dust of this sensational poisoning murder case has settled.

(Note: For more information on the poisoning case involving Xu Yao, please refer to our lengthy report titled "Unveiling the Beginning and End of the Poisoning Case Involving Xu Yao, Former CEO of Three Body Company," published on November 20, 2025.)