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

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dm92 said:
And, here I thought I was going to get a few days mental break from this trial.

Have to be careful with newspaper headlines. They can be misleading. Many headlines are saying: “Christensen offered to plead guilty, reveal location of remains.” That’s not exactly correct. He’s offering information in his possession on the location of the remains.

Here's the text from their filing:

In truth, however, within six months of his arrest Mr. Christensen agreed to plead guilty to the charges against him, to cooperate fully with investigators and provide all information in his possession regarding the crime and the location of the victim’s remains and to accept a sentence of life without possibility of release.



"all information in his possession regarding the crime and the location of the victim's remains."



I do remember reading at least one article that said the family would be willing to trade life in prison in exchange for her remains. I assume, and I think it is reasonable to assume, her family would want actual, physical remains that they can return to China with them in order to make a deal taking death off the table. When you read that line at first, that's exactly what you think -'He's going to tell them where he buried her!!! Thank God!!!!!'

The problem might be that "all information in his possession regarding the crime and the location of the victim's remains" might mean instead: "Yeah, here's the spot on the riverbank where I chopped her up and threw the parts in the river. Have fun trawling the riverbottom from here to 10-20 miles downstream. Hope you find something." Or, "Yeah, here's the locations of the 3 dumpsters i tossed her remains in. Have fun figuring out in January of 2018 what landfill the contents of these dumpsters on June 9-12 ended up in, figuring out what parts of the landfills these contents ended up in, and cordoning off and excavating 6 months worth of trash in those sections. Hope you find something."

In short, they may have demanded that he give them a location and a guarantee that remains the Zhang family could take home with them would be recovered. Maybe that was a sticking point that kept a deal from being made.



I'm sure the prosecution will file a response to this. Needless to say, it is going to be *very* interesting what they say regarding this offer, and why it was not taken.......

I know prosecutors know how badly her family wants her body. I also know the Zhang family wants him dead, too. My guess is that they weren’t going to risk taking death off the table for a location, and then get caught with no body and BC in prison for life. Then the family would be left getting nothing of what they wanted. There must have been a stipulation that all or most of the remains must be recovered, or no deal. He probably coudnt guarantee it, so chose not to.

I agree, there are so many legal loopholes in the exact meaning of the section you quoted in his plea "offer". He may have scattered the remnants of her burned remains or somehow there may be no remains.

BC may also have insisted on his choice of Federal incarceration location in exchange for his info in the plea deal. I'm sure the Feds would have none of that given his heinous crime. Brillant Brendt may have thought he could give up his info and get some kind of Martha Stewart "Club Fed" deal.

So lots of possible reasons for the supposed rejection of "some kind" of wacky plea deal offer by the Defense. ANY plea deal offer by the Defense could have been part of their sentencing phase strategy, no matter how weak the plea deal was:

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this entire trial and cost to the poor taxpayers could have been avoided if the Evil Feds would have accepted our clients generous plea offer years ago...blah, blah, blah"

I also did some research on urban cadaver locator dogs. Those dogs have amazing skills and if one was employed in a large area around his apartment, and the remains or parts of the remains were in that area (say one mile radius area for the search), the cadaver dog would have found her even if baried. They can locate deceased human bones and even ashes.

I couldn't find any specific info if a cadaver dog could sense the past presence of a body in a dumpster after any period of time though. I've decided to wait until after the sentencing phase to think any more about where YYs remains may be because if all else fails for the Defense, and they feel BCs only chance to avoid the DP (if thats what he wants), they may throw up the hail mary and reveal her remains location.
MOO
I feel so much sadness for YYs family. In China, in their culture, the gov't would have tortured the location info from BC in one day, put him in a dank dark cell for a few weeks, then held a one day show trial, and executed him the next day. So their frustration with the US judicial system has added so much additional pain and suffering from their cultural perspective.
Click to expand...
 
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Stratescoop said:
I agree, a lot of legal loopholes in the actual quoted statement by the Defense. He may scattered the remnants of her ashes is another option.

Also BC may have tried to insist on his choice of Federal incarceration facility in exchange for all of his info in a plea deal. The Feds would likely not agree to that idea for a heinous kidnapping and murder. He might of even insisted he would turn over all info in"his possesion

I agree, there are so many legal loopholes in the exact meaning of the section you quoted in his plea "offer". He may have scattered the remnants of her burned remains or somehow there may be no remains.

BC may also have insisted on his choice of Federal incarceration location in exchange for his info in the plea deal. I'm sure the Feds would have none of that given his heinous crime. Brillant Brendt may have thought he could give up his info and get some kind of Martha Stewart "Club Fed" deal.

So lots of possible reasons for the supposed rejection of "some kind" of wacky plea deal offer by the Defense. ANY plea deal offer by the Defense could have been part of their sentencing phase strategy, no matter how weak the plea deal was:

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this entire trial and cost to the poor taxpayers could have been avoided if the Evil Feds would have accepted our clients generous plea offer years ago...blah, blah, blah"

I also did some research on urban cadaver locator dogs. Those dogs have amazing skills and if one was employed in a large area around his apartment, and the remains or parts of the remains were in that area (say one mile radius area for the search), the cadaver dog would have found her even if baried. They can locate deceased human bones and even ashes.

I couldn't find any specific info if a cadaver dog could sense the past presence of a body in a dumpster after any period of time though. I've decided to wait until after the sentencing phase to think any more about where YYs remains may be because if all else fails for the Defense, and they feel BCs only chance to avoid the DP (if thats what he wants), they may throw up the hail mary and reveal her remains location.
MOO
I feel so much sadness for YYs family. In China, in their culture, the gov't would have tortured the location info from BC in one day, put him in a dank dark cell for a few weeks, then held a one day show trial, and executed him the next day. So their frustration with the US judicial system has added so much additional pain and suffering from their cultural perspective.
Click to expand...
You just gave me a great idea!
Let's hustle for him to be extradited to China!
 
dm92 said:
And, here I thought I was going to get a few days mental break from this trial.

Have to be careful with newspaper headlines. They can be misleading. Many headlines are saying: “Christensen offered to plead guilty, reveal location of remains.” That’s not exactly correct. He’s offering information in his possession on the location of the remains.

Here's the text from their filing:

In truth, however, within six months of his arrest Mr. Christensen agreed to plead guilty to the charges against him, to cooperate fully with investigators and provide all information in his possession regarding the crime and the location of the victim’s remains and to accept a sentence of life without possibility of release.



"all information in his possession regarding the crime and the location of the victim's remains."



I do remember reading at least one article that said the family would be willing to trade life in prison in exchange for her remains. I assume, and I think it is reasonable to assume, her family would want actual, physical remains that they can return to China with them in order to make a deal taking death off the table. When you read that line at first, that's exactly what you think -'He's going to tell them where he buried her!!! Thank God!!!!!'

The problem might be that "all information in his possession regarding the crime and the location of the victim's remains" might mean instead: "Yeah, here's the spot on the riverbank where I chopped her up and threw the parts in the river. Have fun trawling the riverbottom from here to 10-20 miles downstream. Hope you find something." Or, "Yeah, here's the locations of the 3 dumpsters i tossed her remains in. Have fun figuring out in January of 2018 what landfill the contents of these dumpsters on June 9-12 ended up in, figuring out what parts of the landfills these contents ended up in, and cordoning off and excavating 6 months worth of trash in those sections. Hope you find something."

In short, they may have demanded that he give them a location and a guarantee that remains the Zhang family could take home with them would be recovered. Maybe that was a sticking point that kept a deal from being made.



I'm sure the prosecution will file a response to this. Needless to say, it is going to be *very* interesting what they say regarding this offer, and why it was not taken.......

I know prosecutors know how badly her family wants her body. I also know the Zhang family wants him dead, too. My guess is that they weren’t going to risk taking death off the table for a location, and then get caught with no body and BC in prison for life. Then the family would be left getting nothing of what they wanted. There must have been a stipulation that all or most of the remains must be recovered, or no deal. He probably coudnt guarantee it, so chose not to deal.....
Click to expand...
I agree, a lot of legal loopholes in the actual quoted statement by the Defense. He may scattered the remnants of her ashes is another option.
 
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Brendt Christensen Offered to Reveal Location of Yingying Zhang’s Body

Pollock and Taseff filed the motion seeking to bar the court from allowing what they call “improper victim impact evidence” at sentencing next month. That includes statements made by Zhang’s family that are “inconsistent with certain objective facts in this case.”

“For example, Ms. Zhang’s mother stated in a recent television interview: ‘We hope the prosecutors can help find our daughter soon. We hope that bad person reveals the truth soon. We have been waiting for two years. Two entire years,’” the motion states.

Such statements, Christensen’s attorneys say, would falsely imply he “has refused to provide any information about what he did to Ms. Zhang.”

The motion also seeks to limit the number of Zhang’s family members who could give victim impact statements at sentencing and exclude Zhang’s personal journal.
 
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kittythehare said:
Prosecution Exhibit List
Exhibit List – #414 in United States v. Christensen (C.D. Ill., 2:17-cr-20037) – CourtListener.com

we have conflict here.
Defense want to exclude Vigil tape, govt is reserving right to re-use everything
Judge will have to decide but I'm sure he is paid well.
This is already harrowing.
That penalty trial will be sheer hell.
Click to expand...

Lots of his phone calls from jail, and tinder and ok cupid records. Wonder if he was bragging about what he did. Also I note that they have photographs of items seized from his Livingston County jail cell -from the time they searched his cell while he was in a hearing at court......
 
dm92 said:
Lots of his phone calls from jail, and tinder and ok cupid records. Wonder if he was bragging about what he did. Also I note that they have photographs of items seized from his Livingston County jail cell -from the time they searched his cell while he was in a hearing at court......
Click to expand...
we will get those book titles we craved so much...
I want to see the piece of paper too that he had written upon.. seized , it was, seized, I tell ya...
 
kittythehare said:
I mentioned it in posts during the night...
This is just one- Motion to Exclude – #411 in United States v. Christensen (C.D. Ill., 2:17-cr-20037) – CourtListener.com Read it and try to imagine what the Zhangs will make of it.
All the other motions posted separately during night...
The media hopped on one aspect- that prosecution refused the offer made in December 17 . That was the plea, but they did not explain the context or wording or exact prosecution response.

BUT before the plea mention which will cause chaos for the Zhangs without context, the remainder is likely to be understood by them that they did and said something wrong in the very few interviews they gave.
Click to expand...

Surely if the prosecution knew about that then the Zhangs would have known about it too in Dec'17 wouldn't they?

ETA Ahh yes I see they did know.
 
mrsobrien said:
Can you check your link please? Doesn't work for me.
Click to expand...

Copy/paste of tweet above

Ben Zigterman‏ @bzigterman
UPDATE: Family says 'there was no promise that Yingying’s remains would be discovered' http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2019-06-26/update-family-says-there-was-no-promise-yingying%E2%80%99s-remains-would-be-discovered …

D-AJ0zdXkAA3_Rb.jpg
 
kittythehare said:
It's not just the deal, it's the entire document and there is no way to abbreviate it, though I made an attempt to do that when I posted it here last night.
Click to expand...
No problem, I was able to read it. Basically it seems they don't want an impact statement to say very much at all because anything that is said will be prejudicial to their desire for no death penalty, in their opinion. Well no s**t Sherlock. They only want it limited to family as well, not friends or associates.

Have the defense answered it?
 
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