A kindergarten teacher in China has been sentenced to death for poisoning 25 pupils, resulting in the death of one child. The teacher contaminated their porridge, leading to her arrest and subsequent capital punishment.
Wang Yun, a 39-year-old female teacher, was arrested and condemned to death after poisoning young students at the Mengmeng Pre-school Education in Jiaozuo four years ago. The poisoning occurred when she adulterated her colleague’s pupils’ breakfast with sodium nitrite as an act of revenge following an argument.
Despite appealing her death sentence issued by the Jiaozuo city intermediate people’s court in Henan province, Wang’s appeal was unsuccessful. On July 14, 2023, the same court verified Wang’s identity, escorted her to the execution site, and carried out the capital punishment, as reported by state media.
In March 2019, Wang purchased sodium nitrite after a dispute with her colleague, surnamed Sun, regarding student management issues. The Jiaozuo court stated that the following morning, she added the chemical compound, commonly used as a food preservative but potentially toxic and fatal when overexposed, to the children’s ‘eight treasures porridge.’
The ‘eight treasures porridge’ is a popular sweet-flavored rice-based porridge in China. On March 27, 2019, 23 children experienced vomiting and fainting after consuming their breakfast. Police launched an investigation following accusations against Wang for poisoning the students.
Authorities later discovered that a total of 25 children were poisoned in this incident, which shocked China and garnered global attention. Concerned parents rushed their children to Jiaozuo No.2 People’s Hospital, where medical professionals promptly pumped their stomachs and provided urgent medical assistance.
During the initial reports, one father named Li revealed that he received a call from the principal notifying him that his four-year-old daughter felt unwell after eating breakfast.