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N.J. Chemist Accused Of Poisoning Husband With Thallium

MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS 2) -- Investigators said Tuesday a New Jersey chemist in the middle of a divorce poisoned her husband, who died late last month.

Tianle Li, 40, is accused of murder in the home she shared with her husband, 39-year-old Xiaoye Wang, and the couple's 2-year-old son. Li, a chemist at Bristol Myers Squibb, allegedly used Thallium to poison Wang.

Investigators said Li gave her husband the highly toxic chemical in December and early January. Believing he was sick with the flu, Wang left home and checked himself into a hospital. Less than two weeks later, he died.

"It's terrible. They had a little kid there and it's just terrible what happened," neighbor Marie Bono told CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.

Neighbors said that police were called to the home very often and sometimes even more than once a week.

"You can't believe that something like that is happening so close by," Michael Evans said.

Residents on the upscale Monroe Township street said they didn't know the couple well, but couldn't help but notice their rocky marriage.

"Sometime the window is open. You hear the fighting and the wife's voice was louder than the husband's voice," Prakash Patel said.

Investigators said Li initially lied to them but neighbors wondered, given all the times police came to the home, how she expected to ever get away with it.

"You would think that doing something pre-planned like this and something where they can find out and connect the dots, I don't know that it was really well thought out for her to do something like that. She had an opportunity to leave," Hisham Zahran said.

Li is being held on murder charges and her bail has been set at more than $4 million.

Shocked something like this could happen? Feel sorry for the small child involved? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

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