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

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kittythehare said:
Ben's tweets are all contained in article above

In their rebuttal, over defense's objection, prosecution got in another chance to play the jail call of Christensen's now ex wife mocking his ex-girlfriend... (4/8)
...under the premise that she claimed in her testimony that Christensen didn't laugh on the tape when it appears he did (5/8)
Prosecution also played a jail call of his father saying that once Christensen is exonerated, he'd "love to contact her dad" and everyone else who assumed Christensen's guilt and point out that they "should be ashamed" (6/8)
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Those calls, especially the one on the 19th of June, are pretty damaging, IMHO

They have put up audio/video from the guilt phase. I wish they would do so from the penalty phase
 
trunkizback said:
Question. I worked in Champaign with a guy named Huckstadt. Does any one remember the FBI agents full name? I think they are related. Which, if so , might give me a chance to get a bug in his ear about a further search.
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Are you maybe thinking of Mark Huckstep? He's part of CPD. The last name is somewhat similar. When I first heard the name Huckstadt I thought it was the same person.
 
Last edited:
Your all over thinking BCs way of disposing of poor YY. You think this lazy, unmotivated, won’t get a job SOB pre planned a grave? He barely left his house. BCs apartment complex garbage is picked up early On Monday’s, Michelle returned Sunday evening, she seen him carry a duffle bag outside That Sunday.
 
Chambana said:
Your all over thinking BCs way of disposing of poor YY. You think this lazy, unmotivated, won’t get a job SOB pre planned a grave? He barely left his house. BCs apartment complex garbage is picked up early On Monday’s, Michelle returned Sunday evening, she seen him carry a duffle bag outside That Sunday.
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well, we keep going in circles over all this, but early on I too thought he put the remains in a dumpster, but NOT at his complex, somewhere instead blocks or miles away… now though I think he only used a dumpster IF he knew of (and had access to) one that would be emptied at an incinerator (some are) not at a landfill. He seems insistent that the body not only wouldn’t be found, but that it couldn’t be found, and it’s one of the few things he says that I take at face value.
 
Raptors001 said:
I hope he gets DP tomorrow.?

Then he will talk if he is smart! Save his own *advertiser censored*
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It will go to the jury tomorrow, but I wouldn't expect a decision tomorrow. I don't think they will rush through it. They have to look at all the factors and aggravators step-by-step to ensure he is eligible for the DP, then if they get there, weigh the aggravators against any mitigating factors. That's too much to expect in half a day. The prosecution and the defense will make their closing arguments, then they will be read instructions before they go into the jury room to deliberate.

My guess is that if they have a verdict by Thursday-Friday -maybe as late as Monday- it will be death. If it goes well into next week, then there are likely 1-2 pathologically hypercompassionate dolts on the jury who are holding out against death and can't be swayed -and it will be life in prison.
 
Wednesday, July 17th:
*Penalty Phase of Trial continues (Day 8)-Closing Arguments (@ 9am @ 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 to 5 (7/8/19 to 7/12/19) reference post #1004 here:
GUILTY - IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #10 *Still Missing*
7/15/19 Penalty Phase Day 6: Defense witnesses: Jail employees: Livingston County Jail supt. Stuart Inman. Livingston County Sergeant Donald Niles. Keesha Burns, Correctional Officer at Livingston County Jail. Nicolas Melvin, Livingston County Sheriff’s Department Correctional Officer. At a break, defense strongly objected, saying his reading materials, YouTube viewing history, etc, weren't supposed to be brought up in trial, and that the question would unfairly prejudice the jury. Judge Shadid denied a motion for mistrial. Defense witnesses: Patricia Perez, who worked as a Correctional Officer at Livingston County Jail. Outside the presence of the jury, Court notes Dft's 462 Notice of Proffer of Testimony as it relates to Dr. Peggy Pearson, who saw BC 2/4/16). Defense witnesses: Ellen Williams (mother). Played a compilation of family videos of Christensen at his first birthday, opening Christmas gifts and playing the piano. Andrea Christensen (sister) and Christensen declined to take the stand. They'll formally rest case tomorrow, followed by rebuttal from the prosecution. Closing arguments set for Wednesday. Penalty phase continues 7/16.
7/16/19 Penalty Phase Day 7: In their rebuttal, over defense's objection, prosecution got in another chance to play the jail call of Christensen's now ex wife mocking his ex-girlfriend; under the premise that she claimed in her testimony that Christensen didn't laugh on the tape when it appears he did. Prosecution also played a jail call of his father saying that once Christensen is exonerated, he'd "love to contact her dad" and everyone else who assumed Christensen's guilt and point out that they "should be ashamed". Gov't rests their case. Defense rests. Closing arguments will be made tomorrow morning, 7/17 at 9am, then the jury will deliberate.
 
dm92 said:
Said it before, say it again: yes, it will be sad for his family if he is executed. But, they will have a measure of mercy and comfort that Yingying’s family may never have.

They will have his remains.

Also, there’s another thing they will have: time to say goodbye. They’ll have plenty of opportunity, years of opportunity, to be with him and communicate with him. It will be a very long goodbye. Yingying’s family never realized the goodbye at the train station was goodbye forever.....
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Not only that but they will still be able to visit him for years because of the appeal process. But will they visit him? I don't think they will. They didn't visit him when he wasn't a murderer so why would they visit him now?
 
tresir2012 said:
Not only that but they will still be able to visit him for years because of the appeal process. But will they visit him? I don't think they will. They didn't visit him when he wasn't a murderer so why would they visit him now?[/QUOTE

Agree, it was too much trouble to visit before, they wouldn't bother in future.
Click to expand...
 
Chambana said:
Your all over thinking BCs way of disposing of poor YY. You think this lazy, unmotivated, won’t get a job SOB pre planned a grave? He barely left his house. BCs apartment complex garbage is picked up early On Monday’s, Michelle returned Sunday evening, she seen him carry a duffle bag outside That Sunday.
Click to expand...


Over thinking? Read Aaron Eades notes, police did sift through garbage, actually.
and Michelle did NOT see him taking the bag out on Sunday, actually.

We tried hard and we're still trying.
And many of us will continue to try because it is not a simple thing or a foregone conclusion that he dumped her in the garbage disposal outside his apartment for the Monday morning pick-up.
 
I desperately need to get my mitts on that plea discussion, all of it, by hook or by crook.
How many secret deals were done?
why did they need to be kept secret?
Why was prosecution clawing so hard to prevent the nature of that plea discussion being made public?
No good reason except non disclosure of its true contents to YY's family or lawyers..
A nasty business start to finish.
Yes, people are entitled to know why search efforts finished up so quickly.
It would not surprise me if another deal was done behind closed doors in relation to the penalty.. have the prosecution actually agreed not to push DP so hard because the cost of the multiple appeals that will surely follow would cost the state far in excess of the cost of keeping him alive ?
The tone of the arguments that will be presented from both sides, what is said and unsaid may tell a story and that is the story we may pursue, if anybody is interested.

To omit a text mentioning the word 'murder' on the day he actually murdered somebody is something the jury should be told because it exhibits a nonchalence about his pre-meditated intentions and actions.

No proof at all has been offered of a dismemberment.
All we actually have is a dead cadaver dog's alleged signal that she died during that kidnapping.
Dog subsequently died, but its unlikely he would have testified in any case..
No proof of rape.
No proof bat was used in the way he said it was used.
No trail at all... sporadic searching after the first 2-3 weeks and those searches were merely following up tips and revealed nothing.
Much evidence listed that was not presented...
 
Aaron Eades
DAY 8: The judge instructs the jury for sentencing deliberations. The gov't has 3 statuatory aggravating factors: that YZ's death happened during commission of another crime, that it was heinous, cruel, or depraved, and that it was planned/premeditated
@WCIA3


2They also have 5 non-statuatory agg. factors. Defense presents 49 mitigating factors, including BC's mental health, substance abuse, and that he sought counseling
@WCIA

Gov't makes their closing argument (AUSA Nelson). "The defendant killed Yingying Zhang for sport." He says, saying it happened 767 days ago
@W

Nelson details the aggravating factors, and argues that a sentence of death is the only justice. "Justice must be done. Sentence Brendt Christensen to death."

He tells the jury the mitigating factors the defense is presenting do not outweigh the aggravating factors. "All murderers start out as innocent children. Sometimes children grow up to be cruel adults. The defendant is not in here because of what he did when he was 12."
@WCIA3
 
BEN
Full courtroom as closing arguments are made. Prosecution just made their case, and after a brief recess, defense will make theirs. (1

Ms. Zhang's mother, father, boyfriend and brother showed up in main courtroom this morning... first time for mother, who's usually watched from the overflow room. but after some deliberation in chambers, her mother didn't return. (2/7) (??)

Christensen's mother and father are also here. He frequently looked at them and smiled. He's wearing a white dress shirt and dark gray pants (3/7)

Also members of the FBI and UIPD here (4/7)

Prosecutor James Nelson argued that "justice must be done" and asked "Is this a minimum sentencase

He acknowledged the grief of Christensen's family if he's sentenced to death, but said the "source of that pains sits in that chair," referring to Christensen

He described the impact on Ms. Zhang's family, as they placed great hope in her. "That's why Yingying fought so hard. She had so much to live for." (7/7)
 
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