Lin Senhao, apostgraduate at Fudan University, stands trial in Shanghai No. 2Intermediate People's Court, Shanghai, east China, Feb. 18, 2014.The medical student was sentenced to death on Tuesday after he wasconvicted of murdering his roommate with lab poison in April oflast year. (Xinhua/Pei Xin)

A medical student at a prestigious university in Shanghai was sentenced to death on Tuesday after he was convicted of murdering his roommate with lab poison in April of last year.

Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court convicted Lin Senhao, a postgraduate at Fudan University, of intentional homicide in the first trial verdict.

Lin used N-Nitrosodimethylamine, a deadly chemical compound he took from the university lab, to contaminate a water dispenser in their dorm. His roommate, Huang Yang, drank from the dispenser on April 1 and died of organ failure on April 16.

Lin's father said he would appeal the court's decision, saying the penalty on his son was "too harsh."

According to the court, the poisoning that led to Huang's death was motivated by Lin's growing discontent with Huang over trivial matters after Huang moved into Lin's dorm in August 2011.

Lin didn't confess to contaminating the water dispenser until he was interrogated by police on April 12.

On China's Twitter-like Sina microblog, netizens lamented the death of the victim and, if the court's ruling stands, the death penalty awaiting the culprit.

"This is a tragedy for both the victim and the culprit, and it should make us think about why we are losing the basic respect for each other nowadays," said user @Zhinuan Qianqianshao on the microblog.