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

[liltexans]

ATTENTION WEBSLEUTHS MEMBERS:

Recently a handful of posters has been bickering, going off topic, and in general being a major pain in our moderator’s behinds.

The next person that argues posts something totally off topic or does anything against our terms of service that poster will get a time out and I will keep giving time outs until everyone understands.

This thread is about Yingying and her tragic murder. It is not for you to bicker back and forth about things that have NOTHING to do with Yingying.

If you have a problem with a post, hit the Alert button in the lower left-hand corner and follow the directions. Even if a poster directly calls you out, you need to ignore and alert. Let us handle it.

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Tricia Griffith Owner/Websleuths.com


UPDATE: Police release new details about missing UI scholar

Police spokesman Pat Wade said Yingying Zhang, 26, boarded a Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District Teal line bus at 1:35 p.m. Friday at the south shelter at the Orchard Downs complex in Urbana. She got off the bus at 1:52 p.m. at Springfield and Mathews avenues in Urbana and hasn't been seen since then.

Wade said the last time she was seen, Zhang was wearing a charcoal-gray hat with a white logo on the front, a white/pink flannel long-sleeve shirt, a white undershirt, jeans, white shoes and a navy-blue backpack. She has shoulder-length brown hair and wears glasses.

Multiple attempts to contact her at her home and on her cellphone have been unsuccessful, Wade said. Police have also talked to friends and checked local hospitals, as is routine in missing-persons cases.

The visiting scholar from China was headed to the One North apartment complex on North Lincoln Avenue in Urbana on Friday to sign a lease, Wade said.

"She texted the property manager at One North at 1:30 p.m., said she was going to be late and never showed up. That was the last anyone has heard from her," he said.

UPDATE: Police seek information on car tied to missing UI scholar

The FBI says it has located the car that a missing Chinese scholar studying at the University of Illinois was last seen getting into earlier this month.

The FBI said in a Tuesday statement that it's received "numerous leads" regarding the black Saturn Astra and won't need any further information on the vehicle. Authorities also said they've developed "several additional leads" in the investigation.

FBI spokesman Brad Ware declined to give further details.

FBI locates car related to missing Chinese scholar case

On Friday night, a day after hundreds marched in Urbana in support of Yingying Zhang, the FBI announced the arrest of Brendt Christensen, 28, of Champaign, on a federal criminal complaint that charges him with Zhang’s June 9 kidnapping.

Authorities said they think Zhang is no longer alive based on audio FBI agents heard of Christensen, under surveillance Thursday, describing how he kidnapped her and what the bureau described only as “other facts uncovered during the investigation of this matter.”

FBI spokesman Brad Ware said he couldn’t comment on where Zhang might be, saying: “It’s still an ongoing investigation.”

UPDATED: Former grad student arrested in UI scholar's disappearance; FBI presumes her dead

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[kittythehare]

TRANSCRIPT
Read: Full Transcript of Opening Statements in Brendt Christensen Trial

 

[Harmony 2]

LIVE: The trial of Brendt Christensen, Day 2

Doctoral student's defense lawyers in trial of Chinese scholar's brutal death: He did it

Brendt Christensen bought Drano after killing Chinese scholar at U. of I.

Continue discussion here...

 

[JaneEyre]

I just got caught up. Thanks, guys, for making that easy to do.

If he wants mercy, wants to be spared the death penalty, then he needs to tell them what he did with her remains.

Has anyone seen anything at all about friends or relatives of his attending the trial? I can’t even imagine how it would feel to be related to such a monster.

 

[kittythehare]

I just got caught up. Thanks, guys, for making that easy to do.

If he wants mercy, wants to be spared the death penalty, then he needs to tell them what he did with her remains.

Has anyone seen anything at all about friends or relatives of his attending the trial? I can’t even imagine how it would feel to be related to such a monster.

Not a single word about any support for him.
bUT, there is not a whole pile of reporting from inside the courtroom.
I think her mother became extremely upset and had to sit in a different part of court room today..
I still think that if her remains are in any way intact, they are close to his former residence.
There was quite a bloody footprint in the bedroom, under the carpet, he forgot t clean that or didn't realise it would penetrate
-he carried the new bag out on Monday 'without too much trouble' according to a Michelle cited statement. It wasn't empty. It may have contained body parts.
I'm surprised nobody noticed him taking trips to the dumpster or rubbish bins...
I imagine he used more than one knife on her based on the few details in the transcript, one to stab her and the other to decapitate her. IF he really did decapitate her.
He knows what he did with her and playing sick puppy, all sad about his own alleged lot while withholding that information is a huge contradiction.
It resembles a battle for soul versus ego from the defense perspective.
We have seen evidence of his lies.
It's quite possibly also a lie that 'nobody will ever find her'.
But I reckon the forensics are very powerful and will tell their own stories.
Just, not where he put her.

 

[crhedBngr]

The stuff of absolute nightmares. How horrible.

Prayers for Yingying's Family and Friends.

 

[dm92]

I just got caught up. Thanks, guys, for making that easy to do.

If he wants mercy, wants to be spared the death penalty, then he needs to tell them what he did with her remains.

Has anyone seen anything at all about friends or relatives of his attending the trial? I can’t even imagine how it would feel to be related to such a monster.

Absolutely, completely nothing.

That is quite telling, but then again, if you were a relative of his, would you want to be near her family and friends in this environment? God, I know I sure wouldn't........

 

[dove28]

from the opening statements, the morning before the abduction: "at noon he responded to a text from his girlfriend, noting 'you dont do the anything casual thing, from breathing to fine dining, to...murder'"

WHAT???

 

[kittythehare]

unable to open this link cos europe
Defense wants mistrial after Christensen asks for lawyer on video

 

[kittythehare]

this just for the photographs
Testimony: Suspect bought Drano after Chinese scholar death

 

[kittythehare]

legal explainer
Admitting guilt at trial may help ex-student avoid execution

 

[wary]

legal explainer
Admitting guilt at trial may help ex-student avoid execution

Article sounds to me like typical pathetic defense-lawyer nonsense. At a bare minimum, he’s not accepting responsibility unless he says what happened to her body. And unless LE can find her body—or what’s left of it—there’d be no reason to believe what he says.

 

[kaen]

I can't even imagine being in that courtroom. Not sure how to even react to the idea of asking for a mistrial b/c he asked for a lawyer. Thank goodness the judge had a response.

"In day two of Brendt Christensen’s murder trial, defense attorneys asked the judge to call a mistrial.

They say FBI video of Christensen requesting a lawyer could prejudice the jury regarding his guilt or innocence.

Judge Jim Shadid denied the motion citing the defense’s opening statement admitting Christensen’s guilt." Defense wants mistrial after Christensen asks for lawyer on video

 

[trunkizback]

So this is what I figure the defense is doing
Admitted he's guilty so now
they just wait to see if all 12 jurors say..hang him ! THEN maybe they use the location as the last card.
Beyond despicable!!! and if he just gets LWOP we will never know where that poor girl is.
How is mom ever going to deal with this??

 

[kittythehare]

So this is what I figure the defense is doing
Admitted he's guilty so now
they just wait to see if all 12 jurors say..hang him ! THEN maybe they use the location as the last card.
Beyond despicable!!! and if he just gets LWOP we will never know where that poor girl is.
How is mom ever going to deal with this??

If they have that knowledge now and are using it as a tactic, they are utterly despicable.
What exactly has he told them?
might have been better if they had used the opening to disclose the location of YY ! Or the lack of it.
Frightening.
Her mom and dad are young... I cannot imagine what they will bring home if not YY's body.
Awful

 

[Niner]

Friday, June 14th:
*Trial continues (Day 2) (@ 9am ET) - IL - Yingying Zhang (26) (missing on June 9, 2017, Urbana; not found) - *Brendt A. Christensen (28) indicted (6/30/17) on kidnapping (Federal charge) resulting in death of Yingying & 2 counts of giving false statements to FBI. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA will seek DP.
Trial started 6/3/19 with jury selection & took until 6/11/19 to pick a jury. Trial should last about a week & a half (was 5 weeks previously). Opening statements expected to start 6/12 Wednesday morning. Judge expects a verdict between June 21 and June 24. If there ends up being a sentencing phase, judge believes it would start on July 8 so the 4th of July wouldn't interfere with the process. 12 jurors & 6 alternates. (7 men & 5 women). For a somewhat description of jurors see post #980 Thread #8
Jury selection Day 1 to 7 (6/3/19 to 6/7/19) reference post #817 here:
Still Missing - IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #8 *Arrest*
6/12/19 Day 1: Defense filed a motion to delay the trial due to the civil lawsuit filed yesterday. Shadid denied this last-minute motion, and the trial will proceed. Defense: The stunning opening line from Christensen’s defense team came after prosecutors spent 45 minutes outlining the gruesome details of Zhang’s death, claiming the visiting scholar was raped, beaten and decapitated inside Christensen’s Champaign apartment. Defense: Christensen killed Yingying.
State witnesses: UIPD Officer George Sandwick (who recovered video of Yingying getting into Christensen's vehicle). Showed video. UPID Officer James Carter (collected evidence @ crime scene). Xiaolin Hou (Zhang’s boyfriend). UIPD Officer Tara Hurless. UIPD officer Ken Costa. Prof. Kaiyu Guan (worked for him at UI). No name (Property Marketing Mgr). A manager (no name given). Defense did not cross exam any of the 3 first witnesses. Not sure of correct order of witnesses. Trial continues on 6/13.
6/13/19 Day 2: State witnesses: FBI Agent Joel Smith (re searches of his apt.). FBI agent Anthony Manganaro (played interview video with UIPD officer Eric Stiverson & FBI agent Manganaro). Defense called for a MISTRIAL-- On account of video of BC asking for a lawyer. Cited case law, claiming it could make the jury prejudiced about his guilt or innocence. Judge denied motion, citing defense's opening statement admitting their client's guilt. Trial continues on 6/14.



Do I have all the witnesses correct for day 2? TIA!

 

[Webthrush]

Just want to re-post, for any who missed the link provided earlier (I think by Kitty), the opening day statements & testimony:

https://news.wttw.com/sites/default...ents/JT CHRISTENSEN VOLUME 8A (Redacted).pdf
Verrry long… much of it we already knew, but so much more detail fleshed out, very worth reading if you can find the time.
Sure seems like Defense is totally relying on a ‘mental health’ defense approach, even though I thought that was taken off the table earlier???... but then you can hardly believe anything the Defense says about their intentions.
I’ll make another prediction: I don’t understand why the jury is NOT sequestered — it will probably only take one juror to fail to follow all the Judge’s initial orders to the letter for the Defense to again claim a mistrial (again, Shahid won’t fall for it, will put in a substitute juror if necessary, but I bet there are juror problems coming — this Defense team will stop at nothing to obstruct/delay the obvious outcome of this trial). Disgusting.

 

[MsFacetious]

this just for the photographs
Testimony: Suspect bought Drano after Chinese scholar death

Why not bleach?
Or industrial strength/crime scene cleaner? (You can get that on Amazon too.)
Just...drano?

 

[x_files]

from the opening statements, the morning before the abduction: "at noon he responded to a text from his girlfriend, noting 'you dont do the anything casual thing, from breathing to fine dining, to...murder'"

WHAT???

What do you guys think? GF aware of the kidnapping? He probably talked about his kidnapping fantasies to her or his wife. Maybe both.

 

[Laughing]

RIP, Ms. Zhang, comfort for your loved ones.