China Executes Xu Yao for Poisoning Billionaire Gaming Tycoon Lin Qi
Chinese authorities have carried out the execution of Xu Yao, convicted of the 2020 murder of billionaire gaming tycoon Lin Qi. Xu, a disgruntled associate, administered lethal substances to Lin after being sidelined from a significant Netflix deal he had helped to secure.
Lin Qi's Yoozoo Games held the adaptation rights for the acclaimed Chinese science fiction trilogy, Remembrance of Earth's Past, which Netflix later adapted into the series 3 Body Problem. Xu's conviction occurred in 2024, and his execution, reportedly on 21 May, was confirmed on Tuesday by a statement from Yoozoo Games, which declared that “justice has ultimately been served”.
The company statement further expressed profound sorrow for Lin's death and extended condolences to his family, adding, “As colleagues who fought alongside him, all members of the company are grateful for the impartiality of the judicial process.”
Lin, aged 39 at the time of his death in December 2020, had an estimated net worth of approximately CNY#6.8 billion (£745 million; $941 million). Xu's elaborate plot involved disguising poisons as probiotic pills and distributing them. Beyond Lin, several other individuals also fell ill due to Xu's actions. Police apprehended Xu days after Lin was hospitalised, and his scheme was later described by the court as “extremely despicable”.
