A former Lehigh University student who faces numerous criminal charges including attempted murder had his bail raised and an arraignment date set during a preliminary hearing today in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas in Easton.
Yukai Yang, who has been accused of slowly poisoning his roommate with the chemical thallium, will be arraigned on April 25. District Judge Nancy Matos Gonzalez also revoked Yang’s previous bail of $210,000 and raised it to $2.5 million.
Matos Gonzalez revoked Yang’s initial bail amount in order to ensure consistency between the two cases: the first for the alleged racist vandalism of personal property and the second for the attempted murder charge.
Yang, who will be held in Northampton County Prison while he awaits his arraignment, would be able to get out on 10 percent bail. Matos Gonzalez said if he were to make bail, he would be outfitted with an electronic monitoring device due to what the prosecution asserts was a prior attempt to flee to China. Yang’s family will be reimbursed for the initial $210,000 bail.
Yang entered the courtroom donning a red jumpsuit with “Northampton County” printed on the back. He stared blankly, facing forward as his defense attorneys discussed their plan for the hearing.
Present was Juwan Royal, the victim of the alleged poisoning, accompanied by his family. He sat in the second row between his parents, shuffling a stack of papers.
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