Deceased/Not Found IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #7 *Arrest*

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Christensen team wants jailers kept quiet


URBANA, Ill. (WAND) Attorneys for accused kidnapper Brendt Christensen are asking a federal judge to keep Christensen’s jailers from revealing details of his mental health evaluations to prosecutors and others.

In a motion filed Friday, Christensen’s attorneys write they have retained two mental health professionals to evaluate Christensen and anticipate retaining at least one more soon. Those experts will have to meet with Christensen at the Livingston County jail where he is being held, the attorneys write.
 
altojack said:
dm, another thank you here for the photos, the garden really looks lovely. Very simple, not cluttered so one can sit and contemplate with no distractions.
I do think the plaque will be unveiled the day of the dedication ceremony.
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As I thought, they installed a marker before the ceremony. It was delivered on Tuesday

Top of the Morning, Oct. 11, 2018
 
At a hearing today, Judge Shadid granted the defense more time to determine if they will seek a mental health defense. They now have until December 3rd.

Judge: Trial still a go for April but Christensen team granted more time to determine defense

However, Shadid does not want to delay the trial further....

While Shadid gave the defense more time to prepare a mental health defense, he said multiple times that he does not want to delay the trial scheduled for April 2019.

"I don't think this is going to jeopardize the April 3 trial date," Shadid said of the extension, though he did say he may be willing to delay it "a matter of weeks."
​
For their part, the defense is not sure if they have a mental health case to make, but they "strongly suspect" that they do.
 
URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - The Yingying Zhang Memorial Garden will be dedicated Thursday in Urbana.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert J. Jones and Kimberlee K. Kidwell, the dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences has invited faculty members, staff, students and the public to the dedication.

Yingying Zhang was a Chinese UofI scholar who was kidnapped and murdered.

Her body has not been found, but a man named Brendt Christensen has been charged with the crimes.

The garden will be dedicated Thursday, Oct. 11, at 2 p.m. at the corner of Goodwin Avenue and Clark Street outside of Campbell Hall in Urbana.

It is located close to where Zhang was last seen on June 9, 2017.
Yingying Zhang Garden to be dedicated
 
URBANA — U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid gave lawyers for accused kidnapper and killer Brendt Christensen more time to find a third mental health expert.

In a federal court hearing Thursday in Urbana, Shadid said Christensen's lawyers will now have until Dec. 3 to say whether they'll seek a mental health defense.

That's an extension from the original Sept. 21 due date, but sooner than his lawyers were asking for.
Judge: Trial still a go for April but Christensen team granted more time to determine defense
 
Niner said:
Christensen team wants jailers kept quiet


URBANA, Ill. (WAND) Attorneys for accused kidnapper Brendt Christensen are asking a federal judge to keep Christensen’s jailers from revealing details of his mental health evaluations to prosecutors and others.

In a motion filed Friday, Christensen’s attorneys write they have retained two mental health professionals to evaluate Christensen and anticipate retaining at least one more soon. Those experts will have to meet with Christensen at the Livingston County jail where he is being held, the attorneys write.
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The judge granted their request for a protective order today. It is listed on the courtlistener site, but the text of the order is not yet available.

This doesn't seem surprising to me. IF they do decide to use a mental health defense, everything that comes out of their examination of him will be required to be disclosed to the prosecution.
 
dm92 said:
one more.....View attachment 149266

I thought there was supposed to be a rock or a plaque or something with an inscription detailing what the garden is for. Perhaps that will be placed during the dedication ceremony. As far as I know, that is still set for October 11.
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Thank you for sharing those pictures. That's so beautiful and so heart breaking at the same time. My niece will most likely attend U of I in a couple of years. If she does, I hope I can go visit her and see this lovely garden as well to pay tribute to Yingying.
 
liltexans said:
Thank you for sharing those pictures. That's so beautiful and so heart breaking at the same time. My niece will most likely attend U of I in a couple of years. If she does, I hope I can go visit her and see this lovely garden as well to pay tribute to Yingying.
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I fully expect to get flamed for this but I think this is a waste and disservice to the community. Isn't this what cemeteries are for? Champaign is a relatively safe place to live. I have lived here for 40 years. In that time I don't know how many murders or missing persons have happened but they happen. Jerry and Sue Haigh come to mind <modsnip rude> None of them have warranted a "memorial garden". Why now? By supporting this project are we not making a value statement? This life/tragedy is worthy of a "memorial garden" but some other one isn't. Please note: I have said nothing negative whatsoever about the victim. My post is just as relevant, or irrelevant, to this thread as all the rest of these posts about the "memorial garden". If she has been murdered, I hope her murderer is brought to justice and I hope that her family finds whatever peace they seek.
 
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More than a year after the University of Illinois Chinese Scholar’s disappearance, dozens of people gathered on U of I’s campus Thursday to honor Yingying Zhang.

Zhang’s disappearance on June 9, 2017 shook the entire community but Thursday’s dedication ceremony was not about the tragedy, but about a memorial garden's purpose to shed light and remember the life of a daughter, sister and friend.

Dozens of university administrators and community members shared words and messages for Zhang’s family at the corner of Clark and Goodwin where the scholar was last seen at a bus stop. Volunteers from the Champaign County gardeners and the Chinese Students and Scholars Association worked on the memorial project for 2 months.

[...]

Organizers said the memorial garden would not have been possible without the university's and community's support. Student volunteers will handle the garden maintenance biweekly and will train other students to do the same next spring.

Yingying's memorial garden: Place to reflect and remember
 
Calzone said:
I fully expect to get flamed for this but I think this is a waste and disservice to the community. Isn't this what cemeteries are for? Champaign is a relatively safe place to live. I have lived here for 40 years. In that time I don't know how many murders or missing persons have happened but they happen. Jerry and Sue Haigh come to mind (look it up). None of them have warranted a "memorial garden". Why now? By supporting this project are we not making a value statement? This life/tragedy is worthy of a "memorial garden" but some other one isn't. Please note: I have said nothing negative whatsoever about the victim. My post is just as relevant, or irrelevant, to this thread as all the rest of these posts about the "memorial garden". If she has been murdered, I hope her murderer is brought to justice and I hope that her family finds whatever peace they seek.
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It was her innocence, so young, alone, trusting, and far from home, and the pure evil of the sexually depraved torturer that makes people want to do something for her. Not because other murders aren't dreadful.
 
Calzone said:
I fully expect to get flamed for this but I think this is a waste and disservice to the community. Isn't this what cemeteries are for? Champaign is a relatively safe place to live. I have lived here for 40 years. In that time I don't know how many murders or missing persons have happened but they happen. Jerry and Sue Haigh come to mind (look it up). None of them have warranted a "memorial garden". Why now? By supporting this project are we not making a value statement? This life/tragedy is worthy of a "memorial garden" but some other one isn't. Please note: I have said nothing negative whatsoever about the victim. My post is just as relevant, or irrelevant, to this thread as all the rest of these posts about the "memorial garden". If she has been murdered, I hope her murderer is brought to justice and I hope that her family finds whatever peace they seek.
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That’s your opinion and you have a right to think how ever you choose. But...
Maybe none of the other family members of the people who have died wanted their money to be spent on a memorial. I personally think it’s a great way to honor someone in death. Not everyone gets a chance to go to a cemetery routinely. This is quite convenient for the people that were close to her. Besides it’s beautiful to see memorials outside of cemeteries. It shows how important that person was to others. I love it!!
 
Calzone said:
I fully expect to get flamed for this but I think this is a waste and disservice to the community. Isn't this what cemeteries are for? Champaign is a relatively safe place to live. I have lived here for 40 years. In that time I don't know how many murders or missing persons have happened but they happen. Jerry and Sue Haigh come to mind (look it up). None of them have warranted a "memorial garden". Why now? By supporting this project are we not making a value statement? This life/tragedy is worthy of a "memorial garden" but some other one isn't. Please note: I have said nothing negative whatsoever about the victim. My post is just as relevant, or irrelevant, to this thread as all the rest of these posts about the "memorial garden". If she has been murdered, I hope her murderer is brought to justice and I hope that her family finds whatever peace they seek.
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I think the memorial garden shows that people want to honor and remember Yingying, even though she was only in the US for a short time. Very few of us will be able to visit her grave (should her remains ever be found) but we will be able to visit her garden.
 
Will we ever jniw what happened to YingYing? Why won't he tell? Or is it known but not shared and will come out at trial? From a mental health standpoint, I find this man a real puzzle.

There is no cemetary to visit, so the Memorial Garden seems a fitting tribute to a case that touched so many across the world. It almost seems a small apology for not keeping an international studen safe. And other students will be keeping it nice. I think it was a kind gesture, and one that reached from the U.S. to her parents, so far away.

liltexans said:
Thank you for sharing those pictures. That's so beautiful and so heart breaking at the same time. My niece will most likely attend U of I in a couple of years. If she does, I hope I can go visit her and see this lovely garden as well to pay tribute to Yingying.
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I hope you are able to visit there, liltexans. Leave a small gesture of love and prayers from the WS group, please. Hooe your daughter had an enjoyable experience at U of I.
 
Calzone said:
I fully expect to get flamed for this but I think this is a waste and disservice to the community. Isn't this what cemeteries are for? Champaign is a relatively safe place to live. I have lived here for 40 years. In that time I don't know how many murders or missing persons have happened but they happen. Jerry and Sue Haigh come to mind (look it up). None of them have warranted a "memorial garden". Why now? By supporting this project are we not making a value statement? This life/tragedy is worthy of a "memorial garden" but some other one isn't. Please note: I have said nothing negative whatsoever about the victim. My post is just as relevant, or irrelevant, to this thread as all the rest of these posts about the "memorial garden". If she has been murdered, I hope her murderer is brought to justice and I hope that her family finds whatever peace they seek.
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RBBM

I don't go to cemeteries unless one of my Family or a close Friend is being laid to rest. And, once that happens, I don't go back to their graves. They live on forever in my heart and mind.

I would rather sit on a memorial bench in a garden, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Life, observing the craziness around me, than visit a grave site.

Just my personal preference.

As to why other murdered/missing persons don't have memorials, I can think of several reasons. If the person was murdered, maybe the Family wanted to put the whole episode behind them and live off of their good memories as well. Maybe the deceased was cremated, and the ashes scattered in the deceased person's favorite place. Or, maybe their assets were given to charity, per their request.

As to missing persons, I think the hope always exists that said person may come back through the door alive and well someday. Granted this is rare, but there is always hope.

JMVHO.
 
Spellbound said:
Will we ever jniw what happened to YingYing? Why won't he tell? Or is it known but not shared and will come out at trial? From a mental health standpoint, I find this man a real puzzle.

There is no cemetary to visit, so the Memorial Garden seems a fitting tribute to a case that touched so many across the world. It almost seems a small apology for not keeping an international studen safe. And other students will be keeping it nice. I think it was a kind gesture, and one that reached from the U.S. to her parents, so far away.



I hope you are able to visit there, liltexans. Leave a small gesture of love and prayers from the WS group, please. Hooe your daughter had an enjoyable experience at U of I.
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Plus, this "takes back" that awful bus stop to a certain extent. Instead of the unspoken scene of the start of a horrific crime, now it is a beautiful bench to remember the too-short life of a vibrant young student.
 
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