If even one juror opposed, then the life sentence was applied. She was a brilliant scholar and had won numerous laurels in China before coming to the US in April 2017, where she was supposed to stay for a year. He then confessed that he decapitated Zhangs body and disposed of the parts separately to reduce the chances of discovery. The defense pointed to inconsistencies in her claims. Friends offered up advice in the comments below. The affidavit provides a detailed accounting of the last moments Zhang is seen. I pretended that our discussion was an academic exercise because I could not bear the thought that in the fragile mind of my mother, who had raised me as a young widow, Yingying was me and I was her. "We condemn his brutal and malicious actions and we hope that he suffers for the rest of his life as he made Yingying suffer in the final moments of her life," he said through an interpreter. A grief stricken Lifeng Ye, second from right, the mother of slain University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang, is supported by a friend Lin Guiping and Yingying's brother Zhengyang Zhang, right . China Central Television ran a feature: The Terrifying Right to Remain Silent60 Days after Yingying Zhangs Disappearance. With trucks taking their loads to landfills across the city, authorities figured that her remains might have been spread around several landfills by the time Brendt was convicted. Christensen mengajak Zhang untuk naik . Cruel as his act was, to cast Christensen as a uniquely-depraved individual would be to ignore all the historical and contemporary acts of mass violence, of wars, genocides, slavery, and colonization. / CBS Chicago. 3.2.Expression profiles of HMGB1, and TLR4 signaling molecules during APAP-induced liver injury. When the police questioned Brendt, he denied being involved in Zhangs disappearance. A prosecutor told the court on July 5, 2017, that Christensen was recorded at a rally for Zhang by authorities and explained the characteristics of his ideal victim and, according to CNN, pointed out those in the crowd who matched them at a vigil he attended for the missing woman. The person helping authorities record Christensen was his then-girlfriend Terra Bullis. Her life was swallowed by the dark currents of race, gender, and border politics. Yingying Zhang. The judge confirmed that its the former. However, even with massive searches and attractive cash rewards announced, the few leads the police got led to nothing. Christensen has never revealed what he did with Zhang's remains. He was convicted two years later. Now, among the familiar sight and through the familiar sound, I also see Yingying. Completely normal, perhaps a bit awkward but with no unusual vibes.. YINGYING ZHANG WAS ABDUCTED AND MURDERED IN 2017. Yingying Zhang, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, Chicago, IL, 60640, (872) 274-4302, As a first generation immigrant, I recognize the unique experience individuals face in life. "It is evident that any attempt to recover Yingying's remains would be complicated and expensive, would require government oversight and the cooperation of the landfill owners, and would have no certainty of success," he said. After the trial, media asked for access to hundreds of documents sealed during the case. The same jury who convicted him later split on the death penalty. On most days, its barely noticeable; then suddenly, the sharp end declares its piercing presence. In 2017 she went missing on her way to sign a lease, and after missing a bus. A world safe and free means that no one is left behind. However, Mike refused to divulge any information about the location of Zhangs remains. Her phone was disabled moments later. The strange and twisted life of Brendt Christensen: claims to have killed over 12 people already, vows Yingying Zhang's body will never be found (June, 2019) . My mother who lives in China believes that criminal suspects should be tortured till they confess, my 2017 self wrote, that innocent until proven guilty is a frightening flaw of the U.S. justice system., The post concluded with a hashtag, #help., I read the words now and am startled by the casual cruelty. The menacing images appear to come alive, two monsters manifesting the paucity of our moral imagination. Her body has never been found. He does not have to be beaten, my mother wrote. Statement from family's lawyers: @WCIA3 pic.twitter.com/SaYqeuwE3h. Earlier this week, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign created an endowment, called Yingyings Fund, that is aimed at helping international students during times of hardship, when they need it most, according to the funds donation page. First published on August 7, 2019 / 6:12 PM. Every person deserves safety, but when does justice bleed into vengeance, and how may our desires for protection embolden the systems that harm us? Title. In fact, the details of how Zhang died, which came out during trial, were awful. However, soon, through the lenses of CCTVs, the police learned that the answer might be a lot closer to home than people thought. He seemingly boasted about choking, sexually assaulting, and beating Zhang to death with a baseball bat. I argued that its safer for me because Im tall. Yingying Zhang is seen entering a black Saturn Astra on the east side of Goodwin Avenue in Urbana. Very new to the country, Zhang still hadnt settled down properly when a devastating state of affairs snuffed out her wonderful life. Brendt Christensen, 30, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the kidnapping and killing two years ago of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang, a student at the University of Illinois Urbana . Height and Weight 5'0 - 5'8, 110 - 140 pounds. Prosecutor Eugene Miller alleged that Zhangs blood was found on a bat that Christensen used to strike Zhang, as well as in other places in his apartment, according to WTTW-TV. The horrific details of her death were made public when Brendt Christensen was caught on an audiotape, talking about how he killed Zhang and then disposed of her body, stating that her family would never find her. The public execution, according to Michel Foucault, was not only a judicial but also a political ritual, through which the state manifested its absolute power. Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. I felt fine the next morning, as if it were all just a dream. My friends suggest that I was drugged. The potential site was alleged to be a landfill in Vermilion County, along the Illinois-Indiana border. Nanoscale thermal transport. Born on December 21, 1990, in Nanping, Fujian Province, Ying Ying Zhang was a Chinese student at the University Of Illinois. By 9:24 p.m., an associate professor reported that Zhang was missing. I am passionate . To lure female victims into his car, Christensen claimed to be a police officer. The moment the page loaded, I looked away. It was also revealed that Christensen was photographed attending a rally for the victim. Lifeng Ye, mother of slain University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang, cries out in grief as her husband, Ronggao Zhang, left, addresses the media after a jury found Brendt Christensen guilty . June 16, 2021. I have seen this logo before. Weeks before, a 26-year-old visiting scholar from China went missing on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The last public execution took place in Kentucky in 1936, when 20,000 people gathered to watch the hanging of a young Black man convicted of rape. People from the FBI also testified that Zhangs DNA and her blood were found inside Brendts apartment, which unmistakeably linked him to the crime. The family also said they are working with the University of Illinois to create a gravesite in her memory. Show more detail . With no news of the Chinese student for several hours, university authorities decided to approach the police and file a missing person report. According to the University of Illinois police, Zhang, a graduate student from China, disappeared on June 9, 2017. (2021 Rerelease) 02.01. . On June 29, 2017, while Christensen was under law enforcement surveillance, agents overheard him explaining that he kidnapped Zhang. Authorities interviewed Christensen who allegedly told authorities that, between 2 and 3 p.m. on June 9, 2017, the day that Zhang disappeared, he could not initially recall his whereabouts. He was found guilty in the kidnaping, torture and murder of foreign student Zhang. As the FBI listened on, Brendt revealed a terrifying truth to his girlfriend. Yingying never made it to the leasing office. Initially, during interrogations, Brendt claimed to have mixed up the dates and denied meeting any Asians. Revisiting Yingyings story at this moment is not only relevant, but also necessary. Yingying Zhang Zhang; Zhonghua Gao (Contributorpp. Her body was never found. April 27, 2022. The only emotion I sensed during those hours of paralysis was an eerie calmness akin to closure, like I had spent my entire life treading the edge of a cliff and finally had to surrender to the air. Determined to find a closure to the case, authorities decided to turn to CCTVs as a last-ditch effort to locate her. The following month, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Given the size of the landfill, the amount of time that has passed, and the amount of additional garbage since dumped in the landfill, Beckett said any attempt to find the body would be very costly. Just imagine a woman opening a water tank and deliberately drowning herself in it. However, was Zhangs body ever found? 15. Verified email at umn.edu. I go back to the video and let the clock rewind. Penculikan dan pembunuhan Yingying Zhang terjadi di Urbana, Illinois, Amerika Serikat pada tanggal 9 Juni 2017 ketika Zhang, seorang sarjana tamu di Universitas Illinois Urbana-Champaign, diculik oleh Brendt Allen Christensen, seorang warga kota Champaign dan alumni jurusan fisika di universitas yang sama. Eager to clear her boyfriends name, Bullis agreed to wear a wire for the FBI and accompany her boyfriend on a memorial walk for Zhang. Im one year older than Yingying. Y Zhang, X Qian, Z Peng, N Yang. Investigation Discoverys See No Evil: Far from Home chronicles the disappearance and the horrifying ordeal Zhang had to endure before her untimely death. As the information was provided under immunity, prosecutors were not able to use or communicate that information to anyoneincluding her familyduring the criminal trial, according to a statement from the Zhang family released on Wednesday morning. August 7, 2019 / 6:12 PM However, theres no doubt, sadly, that Zhang is dead. Without a body, prosecutors based their case on DNA evidence found at Christensen's apartment, and the defendant's own boasting of having killed Zhang in a conversation with his girlfriend. Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011, but Christensen was prosecuted under federal law. Like every other institution in this country, the evolution of the death penalty in the U.S. is intertwined with slavery and codified with racism. Beckett said Christensen's defense attorneys told federal prosecutors what he did with Zhang's body in November 2018, but the information was provided under a grant of immunity, so prosecutors could not disclose the information to anyone until after the trial. Yingying Zhang-Zhang; Sylvia Rohlfer; Jay Rajasekera . I was furious at my mother, who appeared oblivious to the cruelty and repeatedly defended the inhumane practice. The I-Team has also learned that soon after Christensen's arrest, he wrote a letter saying he wanted to end his life. There were also statements from Christensen's wife at the time of the investigation in the newly unsealed records. In a flurry of anguished messages, she told me to stop wearing high-heels so I could run faster in case of danger. The fund had already amassed more than $30,000 by Wednesday morning. If you are interested to know more about this specific case and where Zhangs killer is now, we have got you covered. Citations 15. The portion of that private landfill that was being actively used at the time was about half a football field in width, and, by the time Christensens attorneys informed authorities about the remains, they would have purportedly been covered by at least 30 feet of fill from later garbage hauling., It is evident that any attempt to recover Yingyings remains would be complicated and expensive, would require government oversight and the cooperation of the landfill owners and would have no certainty of success, said the statement. Yingying Zhangs remains were never found. Christensen stated that he offered the Asian female a ride. According to ABC 7, after Christensens trial, it was revealed that he told his lawyers that he put Yingyings remains in three separate garbage bags and placed them in a dumpster outside his Champaign apartment. Authorities think Zhangs body might be in multiple landfills, but thats never been determined for sure. She refused. She walks over and leans in the passenger side window. The surveillance video was provided by University of Illinois police. . ? or IF he was free? 0000-0003-3769-079X; 0000-0003-3819-5467; . Also part of the case that was sealed: a motion to exclude evidence of a lost Illinois State Police badge found on the roadway four days after the disappearance of Yingying Zhang. Her remains have never been found. Please let us bring Yingying home," Ronggao Zhang said. . According to Bullis, who testified during Christensens trial, she felt very conflicted because she still cared for Christensen, but she also cared about what had happened to Zhang. It is evident that any attempt to recover Yingyings remains would be complicated and expensive, would require government oversight and the cooperation of the landfill owners and would have no certainty of success, said Steve Beckett, attorney for the Zhang family, according to ABC. The black sedan that picked up Yingying was quickly identified as belonging to one Brendt Christensen. Wenbing Luo, Jian Wang, Yingying Zhang: Software Quality Evaluation Model based on Multiple Linear Regression and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method. I replay this clip and reckon that Im again at fault for over-intellectualizing. Im puzzled over this question to the judge, why the distinction was necessary. The issues of racism, misogyny, and mental health crises in the sciences and in graduate school did not start with Christensen and have not vanished with his incarceration. In a series of surveillance videosUIUC has more than 2,000 cameras on campusshe gets on a bus. She left her quaint, mountain top home town after receiving a scholarship to study at the Chinese Academy . On the left is a grim, gray facility with barbed wires and a watch tower. She said she was running behind, but would arrive about 2:10 p.m. At 1:35 p.m., she was observed on video boarding a public bus. He later advised, however, he must have been either sleeping or he was playing video games at his residence all day. He admitted the car belonged to him, the affidavit said. By the time they provided that information, it was almost 18 months after she would have been placed in the landfill, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene Miller, ABC reported. She was supposed to check out an apartment to lease and never showed up. Body Discovered Date Never Found. The remains sought by Yingying Zhang's family for proper burial, and whose whereabouts the killer had kept from them, may be "impossible" to retrieve By Jeff Truesdell Published on August 8, 2019 . With a confession on hand, the FBI arrested Brendt Christensen and charged him with the murder of Yingying Zhang. On June 9, 2017, the day Zhang went missing, she was supposed to meet a leasing agent to sign for a new apartment where she planned to stay. My mother insisted that predators would not care for an old woman like her, though she was barely 40. (AP/AAP) Zhang's mother, Lifeng Ye, cried . YingYing Zhang was a student from China who was murdered in Illinois. I feel sorry that Ive brought knowledge of this gruesome crime to people dear to me, but Ive always felt responsible for Yingyings death, that Im complicit by my profession. Was her body ever found? Brendt Allen Christensen, a physics graduate student, will appear in federal court on Monday, on charges of abducting 26-year-old Yingying Zhang in June. Brendt Christensen, 30, kidnapped, tortured and killed U of I scholar Yingying Zhang in 2018. Christensen, a former physics Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois, raped, choked, and stabbed 26-year-old Zhang before beating her with a baseball bat and decapitating her in June 2017. Revealed a Terrifying truth to his girlfriend with Zhang 's remains law enforcement surveillance, overheard... 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