Murder Conviction Upheld For Monroe Woman Who Poisoned Husband

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Monroe Township woman’s 2013 murder conviction for poisoning her husband to death was upheld Tuesday by a state appeals court.

Tianle Li, 48, of Monroe Township was convicted on July 9, 2013 by a jury in New Brunswick of the murder of her husband, Xiaoye Wang, a 39-year-old computer software engineer.

The wife, who had been employed for 10 years as a chemist at Bristol-Myers Squibb, had obtained thallium, a highly-toxic metal, and administered a steady dose of the substance to her husband between November 16, 2010 and January 26, 2011, the Middlesex County prosecutor said.

After becoming ill with apparent flu-like symptoms, Wang admitted himself to the University Medical Center at Princeton on January 14, 2011 for treatment. A series of tests determined that he had been poisoned with thallium. Wang died at the hospital the following day.

The couple was in the middle of a divorce, and was involved in a series of domestic disturbances as far back as April, 2009, Patch reported at the time. The couple had a young son.

His wife was also charged with hindering her apprehension and prosecution by attempting to flee the country after his murder.

She appealed her conviction, but lost her appeal on Tuesday. Li argued many points in her appeal, among them that the state showed the jury "highly inflammatory" photos from the autopsy.

She also argued that she did not fully understand her Miranda rights, even though they were given to her in Mandarin by a Chinese-speaking police officer.

Li was sentenced on September 20, 2013 to life in prison. She must serve at least 62 years of that sentence.

Image via Shutterstock.com