Motives Exposed: University Lab Employee Poisons Coworker Over Promotion Snub, Confesses to Using AI for Research
A 41-year-old laboratory employee at a U.S. university admitted to poisoning a coworker's water bottle and shoes with dangerous chemicals over resentment about a promotion decision, using AI to research chemical quantities.
Jealousy may be a fleeting emotion for some, but in certain cases it can escalate into extreme behavior. This case made headlines when a laboratory employee at a prominent U.S. university was accused of attempting to poison a coworker simply because he was dissatisfied with what he perceived as an unfair promotion decision.
The perpetrator is Makoto Kuroda, a 41-year-old man facing serious charges for both reckless endangerment of others and intentional product contamination causing health harm. He admitted to placing dangerous chemicals into his coworker's water bottle in the lab.
Kuroda and the victim, identified only by the initials "T.M.," had known each other since 2017 and worked together at an influenza research institute for five years. What began as a close working relationship gradually deteriorated into accumulating dissatisfaction.
The incident came to light on April 4 when T.M. attempted to drink water from a bottle that had been sitting on his desk for several days, only to notice an abnormal taste and immediately spit it out. A coworker confirmed the bottle had a distinctly strange odor.
Shortly after, T.M. discovered another anomaly when his shoes in the lab emitted a strong foul smell, prompting him to contact police. Testing revealed chloroform at such a high concentration that precise measurement was impossible.
Following the investigation, Kuroda admitted to being the perpetrator. He used paraformaldehyde mixed with triazole, dripping it into T.M.'s water bottle and placing it in the victim's shoes, intending to cause illness and skin irritation.
Kuroda's motives extended beyond just the promotion issue. He also expressed dissatisfaction with what he viewed as his coworker's failure to follow lab safety protocols, such as not wearing protective equipment, combined with accumulated minor conflicts that festered into deep resentment.
Most alarming was Kuroda's admission that he used AI, specifically ChatGPT, to research the required quantities of chemicals. Police documents indicated he wanted the victim to "feel bad" and believed the other person deserved such consequences, viewing it as "bad people should experience bad things."
