Deceased/Not Found IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #3 *Arrest*

[ShHolmz]

The eyes at the walk say that he's proud of what he's done and is delighting in it.

And he brought a date!

 

[crhedBngr]

And he brought a date!

I'll say this AGAIN--reminds me of Scott Peterson at Laci's vigil.

 

[citigirl]

But what would the Fetlife site have to do with the commission of the crime? He would have had to post something about her on there for it to be involved. The Fetlife site provides circumstantial evidence he is into some odd stuff, and looked at abduction sites but it does not relate directly to the crime. Many people look at websites to try to figure out how to make stuff and that does not make a difference as far as making it a federal crime. Like in the Casey Anthony case they alleged she looked at the web to see how to make chloroform.

There would need to be a direct tie to the Fetlife site and the crime. What could it be?

I am guessing that reading the Abduction 101 threads is what they are referring to, and planning the crime based on what he found. Casey Anthony did not kidnap her daughter, so the federal kidnapping stature would not apply.

 

[Jennifer17]

But what would the Fetlife site have to do with the commission of the crime? He would have had to post something about her on there for it to be involved. The Fetlife site provides circumstantial evidence he is into some odd stuff, and looked at abduction sites but it does not relate directly to the crime. Many people look at websites to try to figure out how to make stuff and that does not make a difference as far as making it a federal crime. Like in the Casey Anthony case they alleged she looked at the web to see how to make chloroform.

There would need to be a direct tie to the Fetlife site and the crime. What could it be?

Maybe there is a sub forum, hidden from ordinary members? Like the making and sharing of paedophile images? You would not find those on an ordinary Internet search.

 

[choocha]

But what would the Fetlife site have to do with the commission of the crime? He would have had to post something about her on there for it to be involved. The Fetlife site provides circumstantial evidence he is into some odd stuff, and looked at abduction sites but it does not relate directly to the crime. Many people look at websites to try to figure out how to make stuff and that does not make a difference as far as making it a federal crime. Like in the Casey Anthony case they alleged she looked at the web to see how to make chloroform.

There would need to be a direct tie to the Fetlife site and the crime. What could it be?

The only remote possibility I can come up with is another member of that site was involved as well. And even that would lead the culpability to that person, not the site itself.

As you pointed out its almost certainly circumstantial and a building block of a case, but wouldn't be enough to convict if its even admissable. A vehicle and a phone are instruments of interstate commerce by their mere definition. You can drive over state lines, etc. You can buy things with a phone these days as they're basically just handheld computers. What it could mean is that he transported her over state lines, but the complaint doesn't want to publicly reveal that yet. That could also be why there's seemingly (at least that we can see) no search going on, because we're looking in the wrong place for signs of a search or they're searching something specific if he disposed of her body in a specific way.

 

[WebWoman]

These are a couple of the description of the games on his Steam account wishlist:

1.
Ycmawari: A quiet evening stroll takes a turn for the worse as a tragic accident befalls a little girl and her dog. When her sister goes missing later in the night, the little girl decides to venture out into the eerie darkness to search for her loved ones as evil spirits haunt the alleyways and streets of.

2.
Aragami: Aragami is a third person stealth game that casts you as an undead assassin with the power to control the shadows. Teleport to any shadow, become invisible, materialize weapons or even summon a shadow dragon to infiltrate the enemy ranks and dispose of your targets.

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198074575257/wishlist/

He had played 78.8 hours in the past 10 days (it says past 2 weeks but it also says he's been offline the past 4 days). His last game played on June 30 was Darkest Dungeon which is described as "gothic" and which he has played 238 hours of. Mrsrobins asked in a previous post if his black clothes indicated he was a goth.

 

[scadder21]

That website doesn't have that type of thing on it. He could have visited the Dark Web but the site he visited doesn't have that type of section on it. If it did it would be taken down in a second.

 

[mrsobrien]

Maybe there is a sub forum, hidden from ordinary members? Like the making and sharing of paedophile images? You would not find those on an ordinary Internet search.

Fetlife is a fairly mainstream site (as these things go) with a huge member base. I HIGHLY doubt anything like that is going on there. That would be deep web stuff.

 

[choocha]

Maybe there is a sub forum, hidden from ordinary members? Like the making and sharing of paedophile images? You would not find those on an ordinary Internet search.

Nah. Fetlife is not an underground website. If you're into that lifestyle, its easy to find. That kind of material would be "dark web" stuff or they'd be outed really quickly. Anyone can and will find Fetlife if they're looking for a dating site that deals with BDSM. Even the remote chance they'd host that type of stuff locally would be a huge risk for a site on the regular WWW.

 

[Elainera]

I don't think LE owes the public any explanation, but it would bother me very much if she has been found and her father doesn't know.

Maybe he does know and that's why they pulled the reward money.

 

[choocha]

These are a couple of the description of the games on his Steam account wishlist:

1.
Ycmawari: A quiet evening stroll takes a turn for the worse as a tragic accident befalls a little girl and her dog. When her sister goes missing later in the night, the little girl decides to venture out into the eerie darkness to search for her loved ones as evil spirits haunt the alleyways and streets of.

2.
Aragami: Aragami is a third person stealth game that casts you as an undead assassin with the power to control the shadows. Teleport to any shadow, become invisible, materialize weapons or even summon a shadow dragon to infiltrate the enemy ranks and dispose of your targets.

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198074575257/wishlist/

He had played 78.8 hours in the past 10 days (it says past 2 weeks but it also says he's been offline the past 4 days).

And? I've personally played and own Aragami. Its an action game about a ninja. Yemawari is a typical anime-style game (we know he likes anime) that is focused on a story about a girl whose lost her family. The likelihood video games played any part of his motivation are likely less than zero. C'mon.

Huge, like to the moon, level of a reach of finding a parallel here. The games he plays and the games he seems to be interested in playing are run of the mill sort of stuff.

 

[WebWoman]

This is a good point. If they followed him 24/7, the only logical conclusion is that he did not revisit her in any way or else LE would have gone in behind him. Which means she was either being held somewhere he regularly goes anyway (e.g., his apartment) or she was gone by the time LE started tailing and he has not gone back to revisit. I'm thinking the latter.

Not saying this is what I think in any way whatsoever, but is it possible he really planned to "only" take her for a short time and then release her, but things got away from him? Suddenly he's dealing with murder instead of abduction, so he freaks and tries to act normal? His eyes tell me a different story, but I also know addiction makes you do things you immediately regret once you've had the urge fulfilled.


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When fantasizing the kidnap surely he was aware she would be scared, fighting back, trying to escape, likely screaming and hitting. I don't know what she could have naturally have done that he hadn't anticipated for the plan to go wrong and therefore have to kill her instead of theoretically kidnap rape torture them expect to drop her off a few blocks away. Or even if the plan wasn't to rape and torture but to "only" kidnap that alone gets life in prison. Considering his fettish profile and interests I don't think he planned to only kidnap then release her as she's local at the same university would describe his car and him to authorities. It was all or nothing imo. Based on how bold he was to be in the rally I think he thought he could get away with the whole shbang.

 

[ninij9]

I am not familiar with what the customs would be in IL but I just find it odd the case is in federal court. Unfortunately there are thousands of cases like this every year, yet you never see them in federal court. For instance, think of the recent case of the two Virginia Tech students who murdered the poor little 13 year old girl- they moved her body across state lines to North Carolina, yet their case is happening in Virginia state courts, as is the norm. The case for federal jxn is much better in that case since they actually found her body in another state and I know they are being charged with abduction and first degree murder. Also in that case he used a computer and enticed a minor. Why is this case different? Indeed, if I am not mistaken (I followed that case in the beginning on websleuths but have not followed it in months), but I believe that case was always a state case, even though there is a kidnapping charge.

One could argue this case only differs from that one because she is a Chinese national, but that makes no difference for jurisdiction. So why is it in federal court at all and why would this case be different from that one? As I said in my other posts, I think it's only in federal courts for optics sake and to possibly pressure the perp to feel pressured by the death penalty so as to give information on the body.

Maybe they do have info on the body and it is in another state or on federal property or they have reason to believe that to be the case. Or else they just have it in federal court because it technically could be filed in federal court because of the kidnapping charge. I don't know what IL law is on abduction but because it is a looser standard. It may be harder to prove kidnapping than murder if they end up finding a body because from the video it looks like she got in the car without force. Maybe IL law requires force or something to prove kidnapping.

I have been quiet in awe of all your great sleuthing on this sad case. I can think of one reason the feds are involved. I'm sure on FetLife, the members that aren't busy abducting and killing Chinese students, are sharing Role Play. Maybe exchanging fantasy's and even pictures of their consensual role play. I think this guy shared his crime with them portrayed as a fantasy. If he was idiotic enough to include bondage photos could that be federal?

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[AnemoneBrown]

Mine is in social sciences too but I think the procedure is the same. It probably varies more by university than discipline. I think what you note is pretty standard. He would have had to have some idea if only preliminary for what his dissertation would be in order to advance to candidacy as well as pass comprehensive exams. People drop out when they fail comps or if they can't get motivated to do the dissertation. It is easy to delay real life by going back to school taking classes which is what I presume he did here-

IMO, he was never really serious about being a physicist - he wanted to live life as a student working out, sleeping late, playing video games and going on fetish sites all night - you can't very well do that if you have a 9-5 job. Once the real work came of devising a research project he bailed. His psyche probably deteriorated when he realized that this life was ending and he was not going to be a student anymore.

Also, when he no longer was considered to be the special, shining star of his program. It appears he went from a B.A. program where he excelled, to a PhD program where everybody is likely as good or better than he. Those of you who have doctorates surely have seen this happen to people along the way as it is easier to stand out as an undergrad than it is to do so in a doctoral program. As an undergrad, as long as you are attentive, engaged, and do your work you get rewarded with lots of praise and distinction while excelling in a program (and a highly competitive research one at that) can crush one's ego as that praise and adoration is just gone. I got my doctorate at Illinois in a research program in the social sciences and I can tell you that while anyone can lie about their credentials to an employer, the difference between ABD and PhD student is a big one as the school is research intensive and obsessed with its reputation as an R1. My guess is he is a narcissist who knew quitting the program would be seen as a failure and decided to make himself look better. What I think this is telling is that thus may show a bit of his mental state and that quitting the program wasn't something it was at peace with.

 

[ninij9]

I bet they got a ton of evidence from his phone. I recall he likes to make home movies.

I've thought of this. What he may have shared online disguised as role play. (Stuck in my head rn)

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[Jennifer17]

Also, when he no longer was considered to be the special, shining star of his program. It appears he went from a B.A. program where he excelled, to a PhD program where everybody is likely as good or better than he. Those of you who have doctorates surely have seen this happen to people along the way as it is easier to stand out as an undergrad than it is to do so in a doctoral program. As an undergrad, as long as you are attentive, engaged, and do your work you get rewarded with lots of praise and distinction while excelling in a program (and a highly competitive research one at that) can crush one's ego as that praise and adoration is just gone. I got my doctorate at Illinois in a research program in the social sciences and I can tell you that while anyone can lie about their credentials to an employer, the difference between ABD and PhD student is a big one as the school is research intensive and obsessed with its reputation as an R1. My guess is he is a narcissist who knew quitting the program would be seen as a failure and decided to make himself look better. What I think this is telling is that thus may show a bit of his mental state and that quitting the program wasn't something it was at peace with.

A very shrewd observation. The big fish in the little pond syndrome and then not so big in the ocean.

 

[Yellow]

I am guessing that reading the Abduction 101 threads is what they are referring to, and planning the crime based on what he found. Casey Anthony did not kidnap her daughter, so the federal kidnapping stature would not apply.

What I meant was there are lots of cases where people look online on how to do a crime, even in abduction cases, and that's not enough to bring them in federal court. In the VA Tech case for instance, I think the boy communicated with people on video game stuff about the victim, he communicated and lured the victim online, he communicated with his coconspirator about the crime over the cell phone plus he placed the body out of state yet they did not charge him in federal court. They charged him with state abduction.

This is a new area of law and it's really unclear. In 2006 they amended the Lindbergh law to provide jxn for federal kidnapping when a child is enticed online and then is lured into meeting the perp (precisely the facts of the VA Tech case actually). The old kidnapping law did not expressly cover that situation. So they added the language about interstate commerce which is written quite broadly and could extend beyond the intention of covering cases where a child is enticed online. Convictions are now just coming up on this as the appeals courts have different views on what constitutes interstate commerce and how tenuous the connection can be. Many states may not want to get into those issues so the safer bet is just to keep in in state court.

I just hope they have more solid evidence linking it if indeed they want to keep this in federal court. Extending jxn based simply on reading a web forum and basing a crime based on what you read would vastly expand jxn here beyond the law's intended purpose of including enticement as part of federal kidnapping. It would frankly be a criminal defenders dream come true if they give him the death penalty based on that.

 

[citigirl]

Also, when he no longer was considered to be the special, shining star of his program. It appears he went from a B.A. program where he excelled, to a PhD program where everybody is likely as good or better than he. Those of you who have doctorates surely have seen this happen to people along the way as it is easier to stand out as an undergrad than it is to do so in a doctoral program. As an undergrad, as long as you are attentive, engaged, and do your work you get rewarded with lots of praise and distinction while excelling in a program (and a highly competitive research one at that) can crush one's ego as that praise and adoration is just gone. I got my doctorate at Illinois in a research program in the social sciences and I can tell you that while anyone can lie about their credentials to an employer, the difference between ABD and PhD student is a big one as the school is research intensive and obsessed with its reputation as an R1. My guess is he is a narcissist who knew quitting the program would be seen as a failure and decided to make himself look better. What I think this is telling is that thus may show a bit of his mental state and that quitting the program wasn't something it was at peace with.

I agree. Although his grad advisor said he was not asked to leave the program, he may not have been able to find a group to work with. It is true that a lot of times you will make as much or more money in industry with a master's, so I understand that mindset (it was my own when I left my humanities program after completing the coursework), but the fact that he couldn't find a job after a year of looking leads me to think also that he wasn't remarkable.

I'm sure he was depressed, but lots of people are depressed and never kidnap anyone or commit murder. I do wonder about previous crimes, because the sloppiness of this one suggests to me that he was getting overconfident and careless. But maybe it was impulsive. We just don't know enough about him.

 

[citigirl]

What I meant was there are lots of cases where people look online on how to do a crime, even in abduction cases, and that's not enough to bring them in federal court. In the VA Tech case for instance, I think the boy communicated with people on video game stuff about the victim plus he placed the body out of state yet they did not charge him in federal court. They charged him with state abduction.

This is a new area of law and it's really unclear. In 2006 they amended the Lindbergh law to provide jxn for federal kidnapping when a child is enticed online and then is lured into meeting the perp (precisely the facts of the VA Tech case actually). The old kidnapping law did not expressly cover that situation. So they added the language about interstate commerce which is written quite broadly and could extend beyond the intention of covering cases where a child is enticed online. Convictions are now just coming up on this as the appeals courts have different views on what constitutes interstate commerce and how tenuous the connection can be. Many states may not want to get into those issues so the safer bet is just to keep in in state court.

I just hope they have more solid evidence linking it if indeed they want to keep this in federal court. Extending jxn based simply on reading a web forum would vastly expand jxn here beyond the law's intended purpose of including enticement as part of federal kidnapping.

I wish we knew more about the case law related to this statute. The only solace to be found for those of you who favor the death penalty if a state court in Illinois tries a case like this is that state prisons are much more horrific than federal ones.

 

[mrsobrien]

I have been quiet in awe of all your great sleuthing on this sad case. I can think of one reason the feds are involved. I'm sure on FetLife, the members that aren't busy abducting and killing Chinese students, are sharing Role Play. Maybe exchanging fantasy's and even pictures of their consensual role play. I think this guy shared his crime with them portrayed as a fantasy. If he was idiotic enough to include bondage photos could that be federal?

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Big problem though...BC became inactive on Fetlife about 2 days before the kidnapping.