Former Yoozoo Games executive Xu Yao has been sentenced to death for the murder of his boss, Lin Qi, who died in 2020 after ingesting poison, as reported by The New York Times.
Xu allegedly drew inspiration from the television series "Breaking Bad" and practiced by poisoning animals.
The Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court stated that Xu's actions were a result of a dispute over the management of the business, following his demotion and pay cut due to poor performance.
According to Caixin, Xu plotted Lin's murder in retaliation for his demotion and pay cut, building a laboratory near Shanghai to experiment with poisons obtained from the dark web.
He reportedly tested these poisons on pet animals, including cats and dogs.
Xu's actions were reportedly inspired by "Breaking Bad," a series about a high school teacher who turns to making and selling methamphetamine.
The court revealed that four other employees fell ill but survived after Xu poisoned beverages in the office between September and December 2020, due to grievances he held against two of them.
One of the poisoned employees was Zhao Jilong, the Vice President of the company's film division, according to Variety.
Zhao's involvement with the company's deal with Netflix may have been a motive for the poisoning, as both Lin and Zhao were credited as executive producers for "3 Body Problem" in an official announcement, while Xu was not credited.
After Xu's sentencing, Zhao commented on his WeChat account, stating that "justice has been served," as reported by Chinese state media cited by The Times.
Representatives for Yoozoo Games and Netflix did not respond immediately to requests for comment.