China executes man for poisoning billionaire linked to Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese authorities executed a man convicted of using poison to kill a billionaire gaming businessman linked to the Netflix adaptation of “The Three-Body Problem” over a professional dispute, local media reported Tuesday.
Xu Yao was found guilty of murdering Lin Qi, the founder of Shanghai-based Yoozoo Games, which holds the film’s adaptation rights. blockbuster science fiction trilogy He is known for the name of his first book, “The Three-Body Problem”.
The science fiction trilogy written by Chinese author Liu Cixin has been translated into more than 40 languages and adapted into television and game productions, including Netflix’s popular “3 Body Problem” series, released in 2024.
According to local media reports, Xu, the former chairman of a subsidiary of Yoozoo Games, poisoned Lin in December 2020 after he was sidelined by the founder shortly after Xu helped him land the Netflix deal.
It was Xu Sentenced in 2024 According to local media reports, he was executed on May 21.
Lin’s company confirmed the execution in a statement on the Weibo social media platform on Tuesday.
“Recently, the case regarding Mr. Lin Qi, the founder of the Three Body Universe, has finally been concluded and justice has finally been served,” the statement said.
“All of us at the company are deeply grateful for the upholding of justice,” the statement continued.
Yoozoo Games did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment Wednesday.
The Shanghai High People’s Court did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
According to local media reports, Xu spent hundreds of thousands of yuan (tens of thousands of dollars) to buy highly toxic substances online, including alpha-amanitin, a deadly compound found in some poisonous mushrooms.
He disguised the poisons as probiotic pills and placed them inside coffee capsules, water containers and whiskey bottles, and then shared them with Lin and other company employees.
Lin was hospitalized in December 2020 and died a few days later. He was 39 years old.
According to local media reports, many people fell ill but recovered.
The “Three-Body Problem” series has become very popular both in China and abroad. Its author, Liu, became the first Chinese writer to win the prestigious Hugo Award, the genre’s highest honor.
Domestically, the work has spurred the growth of a science fiction industry encompassing films, video games, books, magazines, and exhibitions.
