Fact check: This Instagram post was posted by @blacklandskonnected on June 9, 2026.

Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 75/100

The events described are confirmed by 4 sources including AP News, CBS News, and The Washington Post. Yukai Yang was indeed a Lehigh University student who poisoned his roommate with thallium. However, the post is misleadingly framed as current news; the events occurred in 2018 and Yang was sentenced to prison in 2021.

mostly true verification card — Trust Score 75/100
Platform
instagram
Source author
blacklandskonnected — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZX5AIVxCPX/
Verified on
June 10, 2026
Verification ID
UY3iwi8yp3e9M55VFTKHsg

Original content reviewed

Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @blacklandskonnected --- Caption/Description --- Yukai Yang, a 22-year old former Lehigh University student who is Chinese, allegedly tried to kill his roommate Juwan Royal, who is Black, by slowly poisoning him for years. Yang has since been charged with attempted homicide, among other offenses. Royal had never thought Yang, whom he considered his friend, would hurt him — much more try to kill him. However, according to investigations, Yang, who majored in chemistry, indeed was the one who sickened him through poisoning with thallium, putting it in his food and drinks in the past several months. If you love content like this follow us @blacklandskonnected for daily content. Published: 2026-06-09T17:23:48.000Z ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @blacklandskonnected --- Caption/Description --- Yukai Yang, a 22-year old former Lehigh University student who is Chinese, allegedly tried to kill his roommate Juwan Royal, who is Black, by slowly poisoning him for years. Yang has since been charged with attempted homicide, among other offenses. Royal had never thought Yang, whom he considered his friend, would hurt him — much more try to kill him. However, according to investigations, Yang, who majored in chemistry, indeed was the one who sickened him through poisoning with thallium, putting it in his food and drinks in the past several months. If you love content like this follow us @blacklandskonnected for daily content. --- Claims to Verify --- 1. Yukai Yang, a 22-year-old former Lehigh University student, was charged with attempted homicide. 2. Yukai Yang allegedly poisoned his roommate Juwan Royal with thallium over several months. 3. Yukai Yang was a chemistry major at Lehigh University. 4. The victim Juwan Royal is Black and the suspect Yukai Yang is Chinese. 5. The poisoning allegedly involved putting thallium in the victim's food and drinks. --- Verification Focus --- Yukai Yang Lehigh University poisoning case

Claims analyzed (6)

  1. verified: This Instagram post was posted by @blacklandskonnected on June 9, 2026.
    Platform metadata confirms the post was published by the specified account on the stated date.
  2. mostly true: Yukai Yang, a 22-year-old former Lehigh University student, was charged with attempted homicide.
    Yang was 22 when he was charged in December 2018. While the charge is real, the post's phrasing implies it is a recent development, and the age is outdated for 2026.
  3. verified: Yukai Yang allegedly poisoned his roommate Juwan Royal with thallium over several months.
    Court records and news reports confirm Yang admitted to using thallium to poison Royal over a period of several months in 2018.
  4. verified: Yukai Yang was a chemistry major at Lehigh University.
    Yang was an international student from China pursuing a degree in chemistry at Lehigh University at the time of the incident.
  5. verified: The victim Juwan Royal is Black and the suspect Yukai Yang is Chinese.
    Multiple news outlets confirmed the racial identities of both the suspect and the victim, noting that Yang also faced charges of ethnic intimidation.
  6. verified: The poisoning allegedly involved putting thallium in the victim's food and drinks.
    Yang admitted to placing the toxic metal in Royal's food, drinks, and mouthwash.

Sources consulted (10)

Related verifications

AI-generated analysis. Not a substitute for professional fact-checking.