Deceased/Not Found IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #10 *Still Missing*

[MomminIt]

One little point I want to put out there. Multiple people testified how Brendt’s execution would “devastate” his relatives. I’m sure it would. I feel badly for his family; none of them wanted this, none of them did this or promoted it, or had anything to do with it in any way, shape or form. It’s awful for them, and I don’t envy them. Their suffering is real, but they get much less sympathy for it, even though none of it is their fault.

However, should he be executed, there is one thing that will help them. There is one small mercy that will be afforded them; one small island of peace in an otherwise vast ocean of sadness:

They’ll get his body back........

They will indeed get his body back....
And it won’t be kidnapped, bound, raped, tortured, strangled, stabbed, decapitated and/or dismembered. There won’t be a trial in another country where they don’t speak the language to sit through. They won’t have to listen to a graphic description of how he left this earth or WHY.
He hasn’t spoken to his family since 2013 while yingying spoke to her family almost daily via phone and/or internet.
This jury is central Illinois. Salt of the earth hard working people with addicts and criminals in their friends or families... but cold blooded premeditated sadistic murderers...they will have no patience.
Michelle...I’ve said all along...sadistic passive accomplice.

 

[JaneEyre]

I think this is ridiculous. He didn't kill her because he was an alcoholic or depressed but because he wanted to copy the fantasy of American Physcho. The father is getting upset yet couldn't drive 8 hours to see his son in 3 years? The uncle hasn't seen him for about 20 years. BC is crying for himself but none of them seem to care about Ying Ying and how far her family have had to travel without even seeing her body because of BC. I hope the jury see how one sided and selfish their sorrow is. Was it some sort of attention seeking by him? It has been mentioned that maybe he resented being left on his own for the weekend and I can see that now.

I’m blown away by the 4th grade teacher. I mean, some of my grammar school teachers did and do adore me, but I promise you, I am not the same person I was at 8 years old. I don’t even understand having a grammar school teacher speak for you. Speaks volumes that they couldn’t find more people who actually knew him as an adult. I have a feeling they’re trying to make the jury see him as more of a kid than a man. He’s actually neither. He’s a monster.

 

[MomminIt]

I’m blown away by the 4th grade teacher. I mean, some of my grammar school teachers did and do adore me, but I promise you, I am not the same person I was at 8 years old. I don’t even understand having a grammar school teacher speak for you. Speaks volumes that they couldn’t find more people who actually knew him as an adult. I have a feeling they’re trying to make the jury see him as more of a kid than a man. He’s actually neither. He’s a monster.

Yes! Best assessment ever...a monster.

 

[MomminIt]

Ben
Christensen's childhood friend, Tom Mitchell, testified. Born the same day in same hospital as Christensen. (1/

Said they'd have birthday parties together, would go trick or treating together. (2/17)

Said Christensen would be interested in the mechanics of his toys and break them. Mitchell said he'd hit Christensen, but "he never hit me back." (3

Said they would have sleepovers, and he observed Christensen sleep walking and making noises in his sleep. (4

Said Christensen's mom was clearly lonely and an alcoholic. Seemed desperate for anyone to talk to when he would come over. His mom told him not to let Christensen's mom drive him places if she appeared drunk. (5/1

They gradually drifted apart in junior high as they had different interests and friend groups. (6

His high school best friend, Andrew Kieper, testified. Kieper put $50 on his jail telephone account so he could make calls a few days after he was arrested. (7

Said the last time they had been in touch was at a going away dinner in 2013 when Christensen was about to leave for the University of Illinois (8/1

"He was on the rise," Kieper said. "I always knew he would be good at whatever he dedicated himself to." (9/(deep insight)

Said they were on the football and track & field teams together, did a light saber duel in German class. He was a "goofy, fun-loving teenager," Kieper said. "Nothing outside the usual." (10

Was Christensen's best man at his small wedding at a hotel in Madison. (11

Talked with Christensen less once he moved to Champaign. (12

On July 2, 2017, his partner woke him up and told him, "you're not going to believe this, Brendt got arrested." (13

"I was completely and absolutely taken aback. 100% shocked." There was "never an indicator" this could've happened. Said he kept expecting it to pass and investigators would find someone else responsible (14

Said he gave Christensen call money "because he's my friend, and he needed me." (15(he also needed to do some fast witness tampering, but never mind all that)

Christensen said he'd pay him back the $50, but Kieper told him that wasn't necessary. (16/

Christensen told him he's innocent on a call. Asked how he felt about being lied to, Kieper said, "it hurts deeply," but still considers him a friend that he loves. (17/17)


(how is any of this even remotely relevant to the slaying of a tiny girl?)

Thank you so much Kitty for your posts. My friends and I all keep up with the trial through your posts while we are at work. You are truly a champion for Yingying and we see the good work you are doing angel!!

 

[dm92]

They will indeed get his body back....
And it won’t be kidnapped, bound, raped, tortured, strangled, stabbed, decapitated and/or dismembered. There won’t be a trial in another country where they don’t speak the language to sit through. They won’t have to listen to a graphic description of how he left this earth or WHY.
He hasn’t spoken to his family since 2013 while yingying spoke to her family almost daily via phone and/or internet.
This jury is central Illinois. Salt of the earth hard working people with addicts and criminals in their friends or families... but cold blooded premeditated sadistic murderers...they will have no patience.
Michelle...I’ve said all along...sadistic passive accomplice.

The more she opens her mouth, the more and more I become convinced she's the Tammy Wynette from Hell.

I don't think she had a thing to do with any of BC's actions on June 9th, I don't think she has any idea what happened to YY's body, and I do think she was legitimately scared by BC's serial killer fascination -but for whatever reason, sometime in the days following the initial search of their apartment on the 15th of June, 2017, she switched from being scared of him, to being by his side come hell or high water. The more and more she opens her mouth, the more convinced I become that she probably wishes he could have gotten away with it -and then they could have moved on to somewhere else in anonymity to re-build their lives..........

 

[Niner]

Thursday, July 11th:
*Penalty Phase of Trial continues (Day 4) (@ 9:30am @ CT) - 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. 12 jurors & 6 alternates. (7 men & 5 women). Trial ended 6/24/19. Jurors reached a verdict in less than 2 hours. Christensen was found GUILTY of kidnapping resulting in the death of Yingying Zhang. Also found GUILTY on two counts of making false statements to the FBI. Penalty Phase started on 7/8.
Jury Selection Days 1 to 7 (6/3/19 to 6/7/19) & Trial days 1 to 9 (6/12/19 to 6/24/19), Court info (7/2/19 to 7/5/19) & Penalty Phase Day 1 (7/8/19) reference post #536 here:
GUILTY - IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #10 *Still Missing*
7/9/19 Penalty Phase Day 2: State witnesses: Xiaolin Hou (Yingying's fiance). (Defense asks for a mistrial re Hou’s testimony re what BC should get as punishment-Denied). Video interview with another college friend of Ms. Zhang, Shuang Wu. FBI agent Anthony Manganaro. Video clips shown of BC's interview where he lies to FBI. Yingying's younger brother. Video of Ms. Zhang's mother, Lifeng Ye. Ronggao Zhang, Yingying's father. A female juror stood and walked out of court this afternoon while listening to emotional testimony from Yingying Zhang's mother. Judge James Shadid immediately called for a brief recess to let the juror collect herself. FBI Agent Andrew Huckstadt. Also played various jail phone calls of Christensen telling his wife July 2, 2017, his mother & father. Penalty phase continues on 7/10.
7/10/19 Penalty Phase Day 3: Defense files Motion for mistrial - must be granted in this case given the profoundly prejudicial impact of juror leaving the courtroom in tears on the other members of the jury during Gov't's emotional victim impact evidence presentation of the victim's mother. Motion denied. State rebuttal agruments. The gov't rests their case. Defense witnesses: Michael Christensen (Brendt's dad). Mark Christensen (Michael's brother, Brendt's uncle). Robert Lahmann (Brendt's mom's bro). Jeanette Handrich (Brendt's 3rd & 4th grade teacher). Deborah Mitchell (His mom's best friend). Tom Mitchell (childhood friend). Andrew Kieper (Hi school best friend). Penalty phase continues to 7/11.

 

[kittythehare]

I’m blown away by the 4th grade teacher. I mean, some of my grammar school teachers did and do adore me, but I promise you, I am not the same person I was at 8 years old. I don’t even understand having a grammar school teacher speak for you. Speaks volumes that they couldn’t find more people who actually knew him as an adult. I have a feeling they’re trying to make the jury see him as more of a kid than a man. He’s actually neither. He’s a monster.

Truth.
A complete farce, so far...
the uncle who hadn't seen him since he was 12... why bother? all this is causing further heartbreak for YingYing's family..
they all spoke, yet not a single one of them acknowledged that he is continuing to torture and hold power over this most vulnerable family by refusing to disclose the location of her remains.
How horrible is that?
Tepid apologies to her family... insincerity.. all they want is some part of her body...
His profuse tear.. somebody give him an onion? I was certain those tear ducts were permanently blocked. No tears for YY.
His lawyers hugging him... give us a break.
The defense tactics really do need to be analysed by a competent body.

The Zhangs are still hoping she will be found...
They are sitting there, working with a translator, day after day hoping and praying he will cough-up..
He still has all the power and the court is facilitating that. Enabling him to hold on to it.

cried his eyes out, didn't he?
#TheyAreAllHereForMe
i'm the most important person here, I'm apparently very good at this- hiding bodies.
Sob Sob Sob.
Just roll up his sleeve and take us all out of our misery.

How many people worldwide are affected by this?
Quite a few, I imagine.
Everywhere I look, I see the same disappointment, shock horror and rage, all triggered by his refusal to say where he put her.
Nobody is doing a good job here.

 

[kittythehare]

Thank you so much Kitty for your posts. My friends and I all keep up with the trial through your posts while we are at work. You are truly a champion for Yingying and we see the good work you are doing angel!!

I wish there was more national interest and decent legal analysis available.
Every media source (all 3 of them) that are reporting should at least be buying and sharing court transcripts. They are not.

It was the exact same at the Charleston killer's trial (dylan Roof) , a few more were reporting and there was more info available and better descriptions of the jurors etc... but very little public interest.
I do not know why.

 

[Ghoulina25]

I’m blown away by the 4th grade teacher. I mean, some of my grammar school teachers did and do adore me, but I promise you, I am not the same person I was at 8 years old. I don’t even understand having a grammar school teacher speak for you. Speaks volumes that they couldn’t find more people who actually knew him as an adult. I have a feeling they’re trying to make the jury see him as more of a kid than a man. He’s actually neither. He’s a monster.

YES! People that haven't seen him or spoken to him in years - speaks volumes! Defense is grasping. I find it to be pointless and another tactic of the defense to waste time.

 

[tresir2012]

If we see thru it we can surely hope the jurors will too.

 

[tresir2012]

Is there going to be more? Anyone from either Michigan or Champaign Uni areas?

 

[Mert]

Thank you so much Kitty for your posts. My friends and I all keep up with the trial through your posts while we are at work. You are truly a champion for Yingying and we see the good work you are doing angel!!

Yes, my thanks as well for your time, effort snd selflessness.

 

[lynneboh]

Brendt Christensen trial: Killer's father speaks during sentencing phase, prosecutors ask for death penalty

Last month, during the guilt phase of the trial, Christensen's father was his only family member who was in court every day. Wednesday when he took the stand, it unleashed a flood of
emotion.

Brendt Christensen, typically stoic, teared up in court as Michael Christensen said he still loves his son. The father was asked if he had a message for Zhang's family.

"I'm sorry my son was the cause of your pain," Michael said through tears.

But Zhang's relatives weren't in the courtroom to hear it; they had left minutes earlier.


I don't think that I would be able to sit through all the blatantly phoney heartfelt testimony, of people who haven't had contact with BC in years, either. Especially his more recent adult years.

 

[kittythehare]

Christensen sentencing, Day 3: Defense focuses on killer’s childhood, family issues

“It’s horrendous. It’s a travesty,” said Mark Christensen, another uncle. “It’s unimaginable. It’s not Brendt. I don’t know what happened.”



it is Brendt, actually. why are you even here?

When he was 15 years old, Christensen had another night terror when he was sick and sleep deprived, his father said.

(sick and sleep deprived is sick and sleep deprived, not mental illness)

Besides trying to show that Christensen had a rough childhood with an alcoholic mother, the defense is trying to get the jury to infer that he must suffer from some mental-health disorder.

But they can’t directly make that argument, as they dropped their mental-health defense to avoid having the prosecution’s mental-health expert question Christensen.

But that means their mental-health experts can’t testify, either. After a couple of them examined Christensen, the defense said they had planned to argue he suffered from a severe mental-health disorder on the spectrum of schizophrenia
They also plan to bring in a UI psychiatrist who saw Christensen in 2016, who will be able to testify about what she saw in Christensen but not about what his diagnosis may have been when he killed Ms. Zhang.

 

[tresir2012]

Now would be the time for his father to get the location of the remains out of him, if his father is truly sorry for what his son has done. The question is also whether his son is sorry.

I don't think BC is sorry for what he did. He seems to revel in it.

 

[altojack]

Now would be the time for his father to get the location of the remains out of him, if his father is truly sorry for what his son has done. The question is also whether his son is sorry.

I don't think BC is sorry for what he did. He seems to revel in it.

I totally agree with you but will is father think to tackle asking of YYs location. BC isn't sorry, he thinks that holding that last card will keep people being there "just for him", because he's good at it.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have an ending to this where BC gives up the location of YY so at least a small part of her can go home, where she belongs.

 

[tresir2012]

I totally agree with you but will is father think to tackle asking of YYs location. BC isn't sorry, he thinks that holding that last card will keep people being there "just for him", because he's good at it.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have an ending to this where BC gives up the location of YY so at least a small part of her can go home, where she belongs.

So you think he's not telling because it's the one bit of power he has left?
He can't be good at it because he was caught so easily.
If he or his father want him to escape the death penalty, I think that is the only thing that would help.

 

[altojack]

So you think he's not telling because it's the one bit of power he has left?
He can't be good at it because he was caught so easily.
If he or his father want him to escape the death penalty, I think that is the only thing that would help.

Sorry, it's the way I've written it. BC says he's good at it, not me.

 

[tresir2012]

Sorry, it's the way I've written it. BC says he's good at it, not me.

I realised that was what you meant. I'm questioning his reasoning not yours. Yours is good, his isn't. I was asking if you think he's hanging on to the knowledge of where her remains are for power reasons, or what other reason?
Good at murder and hiding bodies, or good at keeping people there "just for him" ? He has managed to keep MZ loyal it seems.
MOO

 

[kittythehare]

BEN
A fellow grad student, two physics professors and his junior high track coach testified this morning.

is track coach (and advanced algebra teacher), David Belk, said he was a good student and triple jumper. "Hard working, quiet" (2/7)

His physics colleagues said he started out driven, but started missing weekly TA meetings, not showing up to his office hours and not using equipment he had signed up to use (3/7

A fellow grad student, Rita Garrido Menacho, said they had game nights in 2015-16, and Christensen drank too much at one and had to wait to drive home. (4

At one of the game nights, he also attempted to kiss a woman there, Garrido Menacho said she was told. (5/7

She also saw him at the campus vigil for Ms. Zhang, which she said seemed odd since he wasn't too social and bc she hadn't seen him in a while. (6/7)

In spring 2017, a professor he was TAing for said he didn't show up for weekly TA meetings bc he said his wife's car had a problem (7/7)

(zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)